Portuguese national Rui Pinto, founder of the "Football Leaks" website which published documents and files incriminating Manchester City, announced that Portuguese authorities have ended his participation in the witness protection program.
Pinto founded the "Football Leaks" website and sent documents and files to the German newspaper "Der Spiegel" in 2018 incriminating the English club Manchester City.
"Football Leaks" is considered the largest leak platform launched by the Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto to reveal hidden secrets and opaque transactions in football.
Pinto revealed that he received death threats and requested support and donations to travel to an unknown location for an indefinite period.
Learn more about Rui Pinto, who punished Manchester City and exposed the rape allegations against Ronaldo
Rui Pinto wrote on his account on the "X" platform
On Wednesday, just hours after the verdict officially confirming Manchester City's guilt was issued, the Commission responsible for the witness protection program in Portugal informed me of its decision to terminate my participation in the program and withdraw the conditional police protection granted to me; thereby, the Commission -deliberately- placed me in a situation that endangers my life.
Given these circumstances, I have no choice but to relocate -within the next few days- to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period, due to the multiple death threats I have received and the grave danger posed by the possibility of an assassination attempt against me.
For this reason, I have just launched a fundraising campaign via the "GoFundMe" platform, and I appeal to everyone to provide support to help me overcome this dangerous situation caused by the Portuguese state; as the state has decided -as previously mentioned- to endanger my life with premeditation.
I would like to take this opportunity to express special thanks to everyone who continues to support the "Football Leaks" initiative, and I can offer everyone a firm promise: the struggle will undoubtedly continue!".
On Wednesday, just hours after the verdict officially confirming Manchester City’s guilt, the Commission responsible for Portugal's witness protection programme informed me of its decision to terminate my participation in the programme and withdraw my police protection, thereby…@RuiPinto_FL
Pinto was convicted in Portugal of crimes including illegal access to data and attempted extortion, and was sentenced to four years in prison suspended.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation "BBC", Rui wore a bulletproof vest during his first trial in 2020, which also underwent heightened security measures.
Earlier this year, he was acquitted in a second trial on charges of illegally accessing 241 email accounts belonging to several sports bodies in Portugal, including Benfica Club.
A final decision from the Premier League regarding Manchester City is expected following the latter's comprehensive appeal filed yesterday, Friday, before the end of the current season.
