Lisbon: Fifa could suspend Portugal from international football for failing to resolve a relegation row that disrupted the start of the Premier League season, a source close to the Portuguese federation said on Friday.

The president of the Portuguese federation (FPF), Gilberto Madail, met Fifa on Thursday to explain the legal wrangle involving Club Gil Vicente.

Even though Fifa refused to comment on the issue, a news agency reported Madail as saying that he was “very pessimistic” about Fifa’s decision, which should be announced in the next two to three days.

“We are very worried about the way Fifa labelled this case and fear it may lead to Portugal’s suspension from international competitions,” the source said.

Portuguese media reported on Friday that European body Uefa was considering replacing Porto, Sporting and Benfica in the Champions League with Chievo, Osasuna and Ajax.