(Reuters) In a statement Rudi Tarneden, UNICEF spokesman in Germany, where the story has received wide coverage, said UNICEF had not put up any money to prepare for the 1995 game.
"A report was distributed in news agencies and newspapers this week claiming that the Brazilian soccer star Pele had cheated UNICEF out of $750,000 (B854,438) - the reports are inaccurate," Tarneden said.
"UNICEF does not in general do that," he said, referring to the reports that it had provided advance money for the preparations. "UNICEF did not make a loss or profit."
Earlier this week, Pele said he was looking into the allegations. His remarks followed media pressure for him to comment on a report by a local newspaper in Sao Paulo, Folha de S.Paulo, that Pele Sports & Marketing (PS&M) failed to return the cash.
The newspaper said PS&M had agreed in early 1995 to organise a benefit soccer match and musical show for free for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, in Buenos Aires.
But it said the company also signed a contract to receive $3 million (B3.42m) from the U.S.-based firm Sports Vision to put on the benefit and guarantee Pele and other stars participated.
The newspaper said Sports Vision paid PS&M around $750,000 (B854,438) before the deal fell through because of the collapse of an Argentine bank that was due to loan the $3m (B3.42m) via an intermediary company in the United States. It said PS&M never paid the cash back.
A spokesman for children's fund UNICEF has described as "inaccurate" reports saying Pele's company, Pele Sports and Marketing, had not returned $750,000 (B
