Man City whistleblower Rui Pinto offers to aid UK authorities after Portugal strips his protection

Rui Pinto, the Portuguese activist whose leaked documents sparked the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City, has offered to assist UK authorities in exchange for protection after Portugal withdrew his witness protection status — a decision he says has placed him in a “life-threatening situation”.

Pinto’s disclosures were central to the case that saw Manchester City found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them relating to alleged financial breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. City have since lodged a formal appeal against the independent commission’s verdict.

According to reporting by The Guardian, Pinto is prepared to share his detailed knowledge of the companies, documents and individuals involved in the case with UK authorities, provided he receives witness protection in return. His cooperation could carry significant weight: hundreds of millions of files were gathered during the Football Leaks and Luanda Leaks investigations, and Pinto is said to have direct knowledge of the key figures involved.

The 37-year-old had been placed under witness protection in Portugal after cooperating with Portuguese justice authorities. However, he says he was informed on 30 September 2026 — hours after the commission’s verdict confirming City’s guilt was made official — that his participation in the programme would be terminated and his police protection withdrawn from 10 October.

“Given these circumstances, I have no alternative but to relocate, within the next few days, to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period of time, due to the multiple death threats I have received and the serious risk of an assassination attempt against me,” Pinto wrote on X.

In April, Pinto was acquitted of 241 charges of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to several sports organisations, a tax authority, magistrates and law firms.

Manchester City, for their part, moved swiftly to contest the commission’s findings. In a statement, the club confirmed they lodged a “comprehensive appeal” at 7pm on Thursday 1 October 2026, adding that they believe the opinion “contains” multiple grounds for challenge — though the full text of their statement was not available at the time of publication.

With City’s appeal now underway and Pinto signalling his willingness to engage with UK authorities, the legal and regulatory battle over one of English football’s most consequential disciplinary cases appears far from over.