City whistleblower Rui Pinto offers UK help in return for protection

📰 Rui Pinto, the whistleblower who set the Man City case in motion, has said he is willing to help UK authorities in exchange for protection. 📌 Key points 🕵️ Pinto, 37, is the Portuguese hacker behind Football Leaks. 📂 His leaks triggered the Premier League's investigation into City. 🛑 He says he was dropped from Portugal's witness protection right after the verdict. 💶 He has launched a €3m fundraiser to relocate. 📅 If his challenge fails, he can help foreign authorities from 10 October. 📝 What happened 🛑 According to the Mirror, Pinto said that on 30 September, "just hours after the verdict officially confirming Manchester City's guilt", Portugal's witness protection commission told him his participation was ending. Citing multiple death threats, he said he would move to an undisclosed location within days and accused the Portuguese state of putting his life at risk. 🤝 Pinto says he has detailed knowledge of the companies, documents and people involved, and has indicated he would help UK authorities in return for protection. CityXtra, citing The Guardian, reports that he holds a vast archive gathered through Football Leaks and Luanda Leaks. ⚖️ His lawyers have challenged the loss of his protected status. If that challenge is rejected, he will be free to work with authorities in other countries from 10 October. There is no confirmation yet of any agreement with UK authorities. 💶 Pinto has opened a fundraiser with a €3m target for his relocation; CityXtra says it had passed €27,000 by 6 October. In April 2026 he was acquitted of 241 charges, including illegally accessing email accounts. 📊 By the numbers • City found guilty: 114 of 115 charges • Pinto's fundraiser target: €3m (over €27,000 raised by 6 October) • April acquittal: 241 charges • Free to help foreign authorities from: 10 October 🔭 Why it matters City lodged their appeal on 1 October, and the prospect of the man whose leaks started it all working with UK authorities, possibly with new material, is another headache for the club. Whether any cooperation actually happens is still unclear. City visit Liverpool on 11 October, the day after Pinto could become free to cooperate abroad.