• He presented several arguments after Portugal walkout

• Inquiry chose to halve, then halve again his punishment

Cristiano Ronaldo successfully fought to reduce his punishment for walking out on a Portugal training camp, after saying publicly that his sanction should be imposed “without mitigating circumstances”.

After leaving the training camp in Denmark last month, Ronaldo said in a lengthy statement on social media that he should be punished as the Portuguese Football Federation saw fit and that his role as captain constituted “an aggravating factor”.

• Commission concluded in July threat level was low

• Manchester City whistleblower given 10 days’ notice

Portuguese authorities kept Rui Pinto in the dark for almost three months about their decision to end his status as a protected witness and notified the Manchester City whistleblower 10 days before it was due to expire, it can be revealed.

According to documents seen by the Guardian, the special security programmes commission (CPES), which oversees Portugal’s witness protection programme, met on 8 and 9 July to discuss Pinto’s case. It concluded that the threat level against him was low and that the special protection measures were no longer warranted.

• Rui Pinto faces loss of witness safeguarding in Portugal

• More documents over City affairs may be made available

Rui Pinto, whose leaks helped to trigger the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City’s financial affairs, is prepared to help authorities in the UK with their legal case in exchange for protection from threats, the Guardian understands.

Despite the crowdfunding campaign launched on Friday to fund a new life after leaving the protection of the Portuguese police, the whistleblower’s priority remains to cooperate, provided adequate security arrangements are in place.

Man whose leaks of private documents prompted the investigation into City has been advised not to return home, contact family members or visit crowded places

More than a decade after Rui Pinto set up the Football Leaks website in a crusade triggered by the Fifa scandal in 2015, he finds himself in the middle of a growing storm. The former history student with trademark spiky hair who used to make extra cash selling books about the second world war has not held back with his statements on social media since Manchester City’s guilty verdict from an independent Premier League commission.

The first targets for Pinto, whose leaks of private documents prompted first Uefa then the Premier League to investigate City’s financial affairs, were what he alleged were the club’s “cheating” executives for demonstrating “a complete lack of respect for the rules”. On Wednesday he turned his attention to the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino.

Row sparked by head coach’s decision to leave the 41-year-old on the bench has left a great international career at risk of ending in acrimony

The drama surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and the national team has naturally become the biggest story here in Portugal. It led Wednesday evening’s news broadcasts and made the front page of virtually every major newspaper. For some, Ronaldo was right to walk out on the squad days after spending half an hour warming up against Norway without being brought on in an apparent provocation by Jorge Jesus. For others, the forward’s behaviour was intolerable and his departure a matter of time, particularly once he found himself face to face with such a strong-minded head coach.

Ronaldo has promised to tell his side of the story soon, and Jesus will speak on Thursday night after the Nations League match in Denmark. A confrontation between these two huge personalities had been simmering in the background. Jesus was inevitably asked in his first press conference with the team in July how his relationship with Ronaldo would work. Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, answered categorically.

• Work provided information concerning City’s finances

• He called City decision ‘historic for English football’

Rui Pinto, whose leaks of private documents helped to trigger the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City’s financial affairs, will no longer be protected as a witness by the Portuguese authorities, it can be revealed. The removal of the whistleblower’s protection was decided on Wednesday, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

Pinto has also been advised to “exercise caution with family contacts” and avoid social media. The 37-year-old, who is the man behind the website Football Leaks, has been a protected witness since 2020, after agreeing to grant Portuguese authorities access to millions of files gathered before his arrest.

• Football Leaks founder’s information triggered probes

• Has faced legal issues and lives under police protection

Years after his leaks shook the foundations of European football, Rui Pinto is claiming vindication following Manchester City’s conviction for financial fair play breaches. The ruling has once again put the controversial whistleblower and his extraordinary archive of documents in the spotlight.

Pinto, whose leaks of private documents helped trigger investigations into Manchester City’s financial affairs, has spoken about the club’s recent conviction for breaching financial fair play rules in a statement sent to the Guardian and later posted on social media.

• Former F1 chief says firearm was for clay-pigeon shooting

• Police quiz 95-year-old over lack of documents for gun

Bernie Ecclestone was detained in Portugal on Monday after customs authorities found him in possession of an undocumented shotgun. The Guardian has independently confirmed the incident with multiple authorities involved in the matter.

The detention of the 95‑year‑old took place at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, shortly after the former Formula One chief’s private jet landed. After a routine inspection of the aircraft and its passengers, authorities reportedly discovered a shotgun in Ecclestone’s possession. He was stopped for questioning by Portuguese officials and said the gun was for use in clay pigeon shooting.

One of the finest players to grace the game no longer deserves his place in the team and should take it upon himself to stand down to serve their chances

At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo’s problem is not his age. It is that nobody seems willing to tell him to his face what everyone else can see. In Portugal, patience for the legend has run dry.

Ronaldo is not fit to be a Portugal starter any more. What would have sounded like a treasonous statement a few years ago now looks an obvious truth. At least to everyone except the national team manager, Roberto Martínez, and his coaching staff.

Italian’s reputation was bruised at Ajax but he has turned Porto back into title winners and is one of Europe’s most sought-after coaches again

After Francesco Farioli surrendered a nine-point lead in his final five matches at Ajax, he felt the word “loser” had been stamped across his forehead. Clubs that had pursued him quietly stepped back and his rise abruptly stalled. Now, after an impressive campaign at Porto, the 37-year-old is again one of Europe’s most sought-after coaches.

Porto’s title triumph, wrapped up with two games to spare, came 12 months after Ajax’s collapse enabled PSV to become Dutch champions. It is a sign of Farioli’s status that he was linked with Chelsea before they appointed Xabi Alonso, raising fears among Porto supporters of an early departure. They remember what happened 15 years ago when André Villas-Boas was prised away to Stamford Bridge after winning the league. Farioli, though, insists the club and fans have nothing to worry about.

The Sweden striker’s goals had inspired Sporting for two years but in Colombian Luis Suárez they have found an equally prolific target man

In Portugal, two of the most familiar sayings claim that “green is the colour of hope” and that “hope is the last thing to die”. For Sporting, a club draped in green, those proverbs are not merely poetic – they are operational.

After a humiliating 3–0 defeat in Norway by Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, logic suggested it was all over. Sporting disagreed. Backed by about 50,000 supporters, the team surged with belief and delivered a 5–0 victory that carried the club to their first quarter-final in the tournament in 43 years. Arsenal come next, as does an old question: is hope a cultural relic or Sporting’s most powerful ally?

• Benfica appeal against ban for Real Madrid second leg

• Brazilian alleged he was racially abused

Gianluca Prestianni will not be available for Benfica’s Champions League playoff at Real Madrid on Wednesday night after Uefa suspended him following allegations that he racially abused Vinícius Júnior during the first leg. The one‑game ban is a provisional mea­sure as an investigation continues.

Benfica have said they will appeal and regret being “deprived” of the winger, but the club admitted they did not expect to be able to prevent the 20-year-old Argentinian from missing the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.

• Benfica manager criticised strongly by Kick It Out

• Uefa investigating Real Madrid player’s claims

José Mourinho has been accused of gaslighting for his response to Vinícius Júnior’s allegations of racist abuse. The Benfica manager was criticised strongly by the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out for referencing the Real Madrid forward’s goal celebration when talking about the incident.

Vinícius’s allegation that he was racially abused on Tuesday by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during Madrid’s Champions League playoff win in Lisbon prompted Uefa to appoint an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate. Benfica said they would collaborate with the investigation but reiterated their support for Prestianni, who they said was “victim” of a “smear campaign”.