Sepp Blatter could remain as FIFA president if a "convincing candidate" to replace him does not emerge, one of his closest advisers has said.
Klaus Stöhlker, who acted as Mr Blatter's official adviser during the recent election campaign, said he is actively considering reversing his promise to stand down.
His comments come two weeks after Mr Blatter dramatically announced he would resign.
In a statement, FIFA said: "Klaus Stöhlker's mandate from the FIFA President ended on 31 May 2015. The FIFA President would like to point to his remarks from 2 June."
In his resignation speech on that day Mr Blatter said he was going because he did not feel he had the support of the entire football world, and that he would not be a candidate in the emergency election.
Mr Stöhlker, a public relations adviser based in Zurich who stressed he is not an official spokesman, said Mr Blatter has received messages of support from Asia and Africa, and is currently deciding whether to remain in post.
He said: "At the moment there is not a convincing candidate to replace Mr Blatter with the same level of qualifications, of languages, of contacts, and knowledge of football. As long as there is not such a candidate it remains open for Sepp Blatter to run again."
"There are some people that are asking him not to stand for the next election, there are some people that are asking him not to resign."
"There is a huge game going on for control of FIFA and the president is in a situation where he is making his opinion about what to do."
With the FBI and the Swiss authorities conducting criminal investigations into FIFA, any U-turn from Mr Blatter would be hugely controversial, but Mr Stöhlker suggested he will only make good on his promise to resign if a suitable successor emerges.
"There is not a candidate"
"He is the man who made FIFA with 40 years of hard work," he said.
"He can tell if there is a really high-grade challenger who has got the qualities, who can balance between the demands of the Confederations, then I think he won't have a problem to resign."
"But at the moment there is not a candidate."
UEFA president Michel Platini and beaten challenger Prince Ali of Jordan are potential candidates in the election scheduled between December and March 2016, but both face a challenge uniting FIFA's factions.
Asia and Africa have been consistently supportive of Mr Blatter, and the next World Cup hosts Russia would also support continuity in Zurich.
Mr Stöhlker's comments come after a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday that Mr Blatter was considering staying on.
FIFA officials responded by referring journalists to Mr Blatter's resignation statement on 2 June, in which he said he would not be a candidate in the next election.
Domenico Scala, the chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee and the man responsible for running that process and drafting a series of reforms Mr Blatter wants to complete, responded by saying it was crucial the president stick to his word.
"For me, the reforms are the central topic," he said.
"That is why I think it is clearly indispensable to follow through with the initiated process of the president's change as has been announced."
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