FIFA have hit back at reports that their president Gianni Infantino is seeking help from Donald Trump's administration as pressure mounts over his future in the role.
The New York Post had confirmed that Infantino turned to the Trump administration for help in his battle to keep his job.
According to Fox News, a FIFA source insisted there was no scheduled contact between Infantino and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, or any other member of Trump's government, whether on Monday or on any other date.
What the New York Post reported about arranging this conversation, the source said, was simply untrue.
On Monday, the New York Post claimed Infantino had been due to hold a private conversation with Rubio as pressure grew over his failed attempt to sell part of FIFA's commercial activity to private-sector investors.
The stated purpose, according to the newspaper, was to discuss how football could serve as a form of "soft power" for the United States. One source, though, described the conversation as an attempt by Infantino to shore up support for his position.
That source told the newspaper: "He wanted to reach out to the Secretary and talk about how football could be a form of soft power for America, but we all know it is about protecting the position. It is not about anything else at this stage."
Since the controversial proposal collapsed on Friday, the report added, Infantino had repeatedly tried to reach out to Trump and had been hunting for prominent allies willing to defend him publicly.
FIFA's source specifically denied any scheduled contact with Rubio or any other official in Trump's government. The world governing body offered no official institutional statement in response to the other claim about Infantino's attempt to reach out to Trump.