Manchester City whistleblower loses police protection
Rui Pinto, the whistleblower behind the Manchester City financial investigation, is no longer under police protection despite a recent attack.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Author: Ridiculopathy
Rui Pedro Gonçalves Pinto, the key figure in exposing the financial irregularities of Manchester City, has been removed from police protection. The 37-year-old Portuguese activist, famous for creating the Football Leaks website, had been under state protection since 2020 following his revelations about the club's financial manipulation.
Portuguese authorities have downgraded the threat level against the whistleblower to low. This decision comes despite an assault on Pinto in Lisbon this past April. Instead of renewing his protective status, police officials advised the activist to be cautious with his family interactions and to refrain from using social media.
This development follows the recent period where Manchester City was found to have committed 115 breaches of Premier League financial regulations, with the league currently weighing potential sanctions against the club.