Rui Pinto, the face behind Football Leaks, has launched a fundraiser: "I fear for my life, help me"

Rui Pinto, a young Portuguese man with a passion for IT and a former history student, went from complete unknown to one of the most controversial and influential figures in world football. In 2015, he founded the platform Football Leaks to expose alleged accounting irregularities in elite European football. Operating under the pseudonym John, he acquired without authorisation millions of files containing emails, confidential contracts and transactions involving various clubs and sports agencies.

Among the cases to emerge over the years is the one involving Manchester City, a club that was found guilty of all the charges of financial violations.

A few minutes ago, Rui Pinto announced on his Twitter profile that he had been excluded from the witness protection programme and that he now fears for his life.