Eckert, who chairs the adjudicatory chamber of the committee on which Damiani sits, passed the case to the investigatory arm.

She has written to Michael Garcia, the head of the investigatory arm of Fifa's ethics committee, to protest at her treatment.

Garcia subsequently resigned as head of the investigatory arm of Fifa's ethics committee in protest at the way his 430-page report had been summarised.

A spokesman for the investigatory arm of Fifa's ethics committee said on Wednesday it was unable to comment on whether it would open an investigation.

In reality, the company was a front business controlled by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigatory arm of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.