Pinto was behind the leaks of private documents that triggered an investigation from the Premier League into Man City, and ultimately led to the club being found guilty of charges relating to serious breaches of the league's financial rules.
After agreeing to cooperate with authorities and provide files that he had gathered as part of his Football Leaks operation, he entered his home country of Portugal's witness protection programme in 2020, being provided with security and confidential housing.
However, his legal team now says that he's set to lose such protection from the state.
"Rui Pinto, the whistleblower behind 'Football Leaks,' has been notified on Wednesday that the special security program he has benefited from since August 2020 will end on October 10," a statement posted by Pinto reads. "In a few days, without being heard beforehand, as required by law, he would lose the protected, confidential residence assigned to him and l be forced to find new housing urgently, with no guarantee that police protection will continue.
"His situation is now critical. The threats against him are not merely theoretical; he was assaulted in Lisbon last April. His revelations implicated powerful figures with vast resources, and many resulting legal proceedings are still ongoing, as evidenced by the decision handed down just days ago by the Premier League’s independent commission regarding Manchester City. Abruptly deprived of his protected housing and plunged into a state of extreme precariousness, Rui Pinto would be more vulnerable now than at any time since 2020."
Pinto's lawyers claim that the situation is "critical", stating that he receives numerous threats and was physically attacked in Lisbon last April.
They also emphasise that his revelations have implicated "powerful figures with vast resources", and that he requires protection as a result.
The statement concludes: "In accordance with the law, an administrative appeal with suspensive effect will be filed against this decision. Rui Pinto’s lawyers, confident that the Portuguese authorities would give due consideration to his situation, asked, last Wednesday, the ministry of Justice to reconsider this decision, to disclose the details of the risk reassessment upon which it is based, to ensure that their client is heard, and to guarantee, in any event, the continuity of his protection. No answer was received till now.
"This decision and the way it was made, regrettably, doesn’t respect the rule of law and constitutes an act of state terrorism. We can’t accept that."
Manchester City's financial scandal
Manchester City were found guilty by the Premier League on September 29th of all charges relating to serious breaches of the league's financial rules over nine seasons from 2009 to 2018, as well as the majority of charges concerning their failure to co-operate with the probe.
City were originally charged in February 2023 following a four-year investigation into the breaches. The club has consistently denied any wrongdoing and formally appealed on October 1st.