Rui Pinto, the 37‑year‑old founder of Football Leaks, will stay in Portugal’s witness‑protection scheme after a last‑minute reversal by the country’s justice authorities. The decision, originally set to expire on Saturday, was overturned after it became clear that Pinto had not been properly informed of the reasons for the withdrawal or given a chance to contest the move. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that the protection program remains active until the Special Security Programs Commission issues a new ruling.
Pinto first entered the protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with Portuguese investigators and hand over the documents he had shared with the German weekly Der Spiegel. Those files, which included confidential emails and financial records, were instrumental in triggering a Premier League probe into Manchester City. The investigation found the club guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the league’s financial regulations between the 2009‑10 and 2017‑18 seasons, a verdict that City has appealed.
The Portuguese government had initially decided to end Pinto’s protection after a review of the risk assessment. Pinto’s lawyers argued that the decision exposed him to danger, citing a series of death threats and an assault he suffered in Lisbon in April. The Ministry’s statement said the withdrawal was “null and void,” but acknowledged that the protection could still be removed if a new assessment concluded it was no longer necessary. Pinto will have ten working days to respond to the risk assessment and the proposed withdrawal before a fresh decision is taken.
Pinto has been a controversial figure. In 2023 he received a four‑year suspended sentence for illegally accessing data and attempting extortion, and earlier this year he was cleared of 241 charges alleging that he hacked into email accounts of Portuguese sports organisations, including Benfica. Despite these legal troubles, he has positioned himself as a whistleblower, thanking Portugal’s Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, on social media while accusing the commission overseeing his protection of acting unlawfully.
The outcome of the Manchester City case remains uncertain, with the club awaiting the final decision on its appeal. For Pinto, the immediate future is dominated by the ongoing legal and protective proceedings in Portugal, while the broader implications for football governance and data transparency continue to unfold.