Rui Pinto, the 37-year-old behind the Football Leaks website, is no longer considered a protected witness by Portuguese authorities. This status, which Pinto had held since 2020 in exchange for providing authorities with access to his data, was officially revoked on Wednesday. Documents reviewed by the media indicate that while the protection has ended, Pinto has been formally advised to exercise caution regarding his family contacts and to refrain from using social media.

Pinto’s work has had significant international repercussions, most notably providing the documents that served as the foundation for the Premier League’s ongoing investigation into Manchester City’s financial dealings. While the Premier League case remains a major point of interest for football fans and legal observers, the immediate focus of this development is the change in Pinto’s personal security status within Portugal. The decision to remove his protection marks a shift in his relationship with the Portuguese state, though the specific reasoning behind the authorities' decision to revoke the status at this time has not been publicly detailed in the available reports. Pinto remains a central figure in discussions regarding transparency in professional football, as his leaks exposed widespread financial practices that were previously hidden from public view.