Fifa has accused the Nobel Peace Centre of failing to “embody the spirit of fair play” over its decision to end its involvement in their joint Handshake for Peace initiative.

The Nobel Peace Centre announced on Monday night that it planned to terminate the agreement as soon as possible in light of the ongoing corruption crisis at Fifa that led president Sepp Blatter to announce he would step down.

But Fifa, apparently taken by surprise by the announcement, said it was “disappointed” to have learned about the decision from the media.

“Fifa is reluctant to accept this unilateral approach on what is a joint initiative between the football community and the Nobel Peace Center (NPC),” it said in a statement. “This action does not embody the spirit of fair play especially as it obstructs the promotion of the key values of peace-building and anti-discrimination.”

The NPC had said it hoped that the Handshake for Peace initiative would continue but it was not appropriate for it to continue its involvement in the current circumstances.

The decision will have come as a bitter blow to Blatter, who once harboured hopes of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The joint Handshake for Peace iniative, unveiled at the Club World Cup in 2013, involved Fifa making an €800,000 annual contribution to the Nobel Peace Centre.

Fifa said that discussions would continue about how to proceed with the “important initiative” and stressed that it would remain as part of the match protocol at the ongoing Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand and the Women’s World Cup in Canada.

“The Handshake for Peace initiative combines football’s international reach with the simple gesture of a handshake to promote peace and fair play,” it said.

“At Fifa’s tournaments players and officials use the Handshake for Peace to set a good example in front of both the fans inside the stadium and the wider public watching games on television.”

Last week, Interpol ended its own €20m, 10-year agreement with Fifa because of the reputational issues caused by US authorities charging 14 executives, including nine current or former Fifa officials, with money laundering, racketeering and tax evasion.