Tottenham managing director of football Fabio Paratici has been given a worldwide ban by FIFA that could end his time with the north London club.
Paratici was handed a 30-month ban from Italian football in January after his former club Juventus were found guilty of false accounting.
The 50-year-old Italian was sporting director and managing director at Juventus before joining Tottenham in June 2021.
His initial ban only applied to his homeland, meaning he was free to continue working at Tottenham, where he was involved in Sunday's departure of manager Antonio Conte and the start of the search for a new boss.
But a statement issued by FIFA on Wednesday threatened to cut short his spell at Tottenham, with the global governing body saying: "FIFA can confirm that following a request by the Italian FA (FIGC), the chairperson of FIFA disciplinary committee has decided to extend the sanctions imposed by FIGC on several football officials to have worldwide effect."
Both Paratici and Juventus have appealed against the initial decision.
Tottenham published a lengthy interview with Paratici on Tuesday in which he insisted Conte's exit was "the right decision for everyone". Paratici said the club were "focused" on backing interim head coach Cristian Stellini as they try to qualify for the Champions League by securing a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Tottenham said they are seeking further clarification from FIFA as they believe Paratici's ban would not kick in until his appeal has been heard.