The United Nations Children's Fund has denied Ronaldo is an ambassador of the organisation despite a claim from the Brazil striker.After describing in an interview shown on O Globo on Sunday the recent scandal which saw him linked with three transvestites as a "big mistake," the 31-year-old said: "However, it will not affect my position as UNICEF ambassador nor the relationship with the companies I have advertising contracts with. They understood it was an isolated event that will never happen again."

But a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) statement said: "UNICEF clarifies that Mr Ronaldo Nazario de Lima is not an ambassador of the institution and he doesn't have any link with this agency."

Police are investigating claims by the Brazil international that Andre Luiz Ribeiro Albertini, known as Andreia Albertini, sought to extort money from him following an altercation at a Rio de Janeiro motel last week.

Police inspector Carlos Augusto Nogueira said Ronaldo, who is in Brazil as he recovers from a cruciate ligament injury, contracted the services of three transvestites - believing them to be women - and took them to a motel.

However, Ronaldo is then said to have tried to get out of the situation after one of the men went in search of drugs.

Two of them accepted pay-offs of 1,000 reais (US Dollar 600), but Ronaldo has claimed that the third, Albertini, demanded 50,000 reais (US Dollar 30,000) and threatened to post a video on the internet if he was not paid.

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