Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker whose Football Leaks operation exposed confidential documents that triggered the Premier League investigation into Manchester City, is set to lose his witness protection — and fears for his life as a result.

Pinto posted on X on Friday that the termination of his participation in Portugal's witness protection programme, effective 10 October, had placed him in a "life-threatening situation." The 37-year-old cited "multiple death threats" and "the serious risk of an assassination attempt" as reasons he had been forced to relocate to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period.

A statement from his lawyers echoed those fears, warning that the decision to end the programme left him at heightened risk — particularly given that legal proceedings stemming from the Football Leaks documents remain ongoing, including the case against Manchester City.

The leaks that shook football

In 2018, Pinto shared a tranche of confidential emails and financial records with German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them to investigate City's alleged breaches of financial fair play rules. Last week, City were found guilty on all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons — a verdict the club have since appealed.

Pinto joined Portugal's witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to co-operate with authorities and hand over files obtained through Football Leaks. That same year, he wore a bulletproof vest during his first trial, which took place under heightened security conditions. He was convicted of offences including illegal access to data and attempted extortion, receiving a four-year suspended sentence.

Earlier this year, however, Pinto was acquitted in a second trial of 241 counts of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to several sports bodies in Portugal, including Benfica.

Allegations against Infantino

In a separate development on Wednesday, Pinto directed attention toward FIFA president Gianni Infantino, claiming he had "become a cancer on football" and should "have no place in the future of the game." Pinto repeated allegations, first raised in 2018, that Infantino had intervened to help Manchester City and Paris St-Germain avoid UEFA financial fair play sanctions.

Infantino has faced mounting pressure in recent months over controversial proposals to sell stakes in FIFA competitions — including the World Cup — to private investors.

A fundraising appeal

Pinto has also launched a fundraising campaign to help him, in his own words, "survive this serious situation," which he claims was "created by the Portuguese State." BBC Sport has approached Portugal's Commission for the Protection of Victims of Crimes for comment.