The Premier League was still insisting last night that it has not given up on the controversial 39th match even though Richard Scudamore, the chief executive, decided to cancel tomorrow’s meeting with Fifa rather than risk a further, ruinous setback.

Scudamore is said to have postponed talks with Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, to try to take the heat out of the issue but it remains to be seen how he believes that the “international round” of Premier League fixtures can be revived.

A trip to Zurich tomorrow could only have ended in difficulty for Scudamore so soon after Blatter had declared that the Premier League’s project would “never happen as long as I am president of Fifa”. Scudamore was due to have been joined by Lord Triesman, the independent chairman of the FA, who has himself described the present proposals for a 39th game as unsustainable.

With tension between Triesman and the Premier League over those comments, the trip was shaping up as a high-profile disaster. Cancelling made sense, if only to avoid a further escalation of those tensions and, after the initial fury from Fifa, which was angry at the Premier League’s failure to consult the world governing body before going public with its proposals, there was a far more conciliatory tone yesterday. “Fifa welcomes the Premier League’s decision and initiative, which reestablishes the positive and constructive relations between the FA, the FA Premier League and world football’s governing body,” it said in a statement.

At the very least, that should reassure the FA that its bid for the 2018 World Cup has not been jeopardised before it has been officially launched. But for Blatter, and other influential football figures around the world, to begin to contemplate the idea of the 20 Premier League clubs playing games in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Scudamore is going to have to do more than just buy himself time.

There are suggestions that Blatter might be tempted into a deal if there was support, financial and otherwise, for his various projects around the world, but the word from Fifa yesterday was that there is no expectation of any developments any time soon. Having forced the Premier League to go back to the drawing board, Blatter will expect to be consulted every step of the way in future.

The plan, to start in 2010-11, would extend the Premier League season from 38 to 39 games. There would be ten fixtures in five different cities across the world in the middle of a two-week break in the domestic season every January.

While the plans drew initial support from figures including Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, even moderate opinion was quickly drowned out by a wave of protest against the Premier League’s supposedly avaricious chairmen. The proposal was branded “a joke” by Michel Platini, the president of Uefa, while heads of overseas federations questioned whether a visit from Premier League clubs would undermine their own game.

In its own statement yesterday, the Premier League said that more time was needed for consultation “before seeking the advice of the world governing body Fifa and the key confederations.

“This project is still very much in its infancy, was always subject to development, clarification and wide consultation and we remain disappointed that these facts and many others were lost when early opinions were formed by many without any detailed knowledge.

“We sincerely believe that the Premier League has much to offer the development of the game internationally as witnessed by the many federations and leagues that currently seek our involvement and advice.”

No further talks regarding the 39th game are scheduled with overseas confederations, although the Premier League insists that discussions will continue when the media spotlight has moved elsewhere.