Man City whistleblower surprises everyone with big news just days after being found guilty
Rui Pinto, the whistleblower behind the leaks that sparked investigations into Manchester City’s finances, has shared that he’s been warned about a threat to his life and had to move to stay safe.
If you’re not familiar, Pinto started Football Leaks, a website that uncovered millions of secret documents. These leaks eventually led to an investigation into Manchester City over possible financial rule-breaking from 2009 to 2018.
Just this week, the Premier League confirmed that City broke serious financial rules after an independent commission’s decision.
The commission found that from 2009-10 to 2017-18, the club made fake deals with commercial partners to hide funding and boost its income by £830 million.
Pinto called the ruling a “historic decision for English football” and said it proved his leaks were the right thing to do.
On Friday night (October 2), Pinto posted on X that he had to move again because Portugal’s witness protection program ended his protection. This was the big announcement he hinted at on October 1.
In his statement, he explained: “Just hours after the verdict against Manchester City, the witness protection commission told me they were ending my protection, putting my life in serious danger. Because of this, I have no choice but to relocate soon to a secret place and stay there for an unknown time, as I’ve received many death threats and face a real risk of an attack.
“To help me get through this difficult time, I’ve started a GoFundMe campaign and I’m asking everyone for support. I want to thank everyone who supports Football Leaks — I promise the fight isn’t over yet!”
Earlier this week, Pinto also spoke out again on X, repeating his serious accusations.
He claimed FIFA president Gianni Infantino protected both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain from harsher punishments while he was UEFA’s general secretary.
Reports from Der Spiegel said the two clubs, supported by their governments, faked sponsorship deals to meet Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
Pinto wrote on X: “Back in 2014, Gianni Infantino already knew about Manchester City’s wrongdoings. He misused his power, shared secret documents, and worked to make sure the investigation was watered down so City and PSG would only get fines, not bigger penalties like a Champions League ban.
“All this came out thanks to Football Leaks. With what he did at UEFA and now at FIFA, I honestly believe Infantino has been a real problem for football and shouldn’t be part of its future.”
For more, check out the FA’s recent statement on the Manchester City FFP case and their warning about protecting the game’s integrity.