May 16 (GMM) The Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) on Friday denied reports that FIA president Max Mosley will not be attending the prestigious formula one race next weekend with his normal official status.

It was reported that the scandal-gripped Briton would be replaced as the federation's official Monaco representative by deputy FIA president Marco Piccinini.

But in a statement on Friday, the ACM said Piccinini, an Italian, was always scheduled to be the official FIA representative at Monaco in 2008, as he was at the Monte Carlo Rally prize giving and gala dinner, which took place before the Mosley's sex scandal broke.

"The ACM was informed some time ago that it was agreed between Mr Mosley and Mr Piccinini that the same procedure would be adopted for the Monaco grand prix," the statement said.

"Mr Mosley will be in attendance throughout the event in the normal way in his capacity as FIA president and any suggestion to the contrary is entirely erroneous."

The British news agency Reuters, meanwhile, quoted an FIA spokesman as saying 68-year-old Mosley would be "attending throughout the Monaco grand prix in his capacity as FIA president on a business-as-usual basis".