Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says women’s footballers should not be “penalised” by a potential boycott of next month’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup, as hosts Poland say they have received no notice of any withdrawals from European teams.
European governing body Uefa and its 55 members have threatened to boycott Fifa competitions over its president Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
Poland are due to host the tournament from 5-27 September, but are not the only Uefa nation involved – with England, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France all due to take part.
The Polish Football Association (PZPN) told BBC Sport on Tuesday that it had so far “not received any information regarding the possible withdrawal of any participating team from the tournament”.
It added: “We believe that the current situation will be resolved swiftly, allowing young players from across the world to compete in Poland.
“Our priority remains to ensure the best possible conditions for the competition and for all participating teams. For many of these young players, this tournament represents an important milestone in their sporting careers, and we remain fully focused on delivering an event worthy of their talent and commitment.”
Last week, the French Football Federation (FFF) said it intended to compete at the U20 World Cup while the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) also told BBC Sport that “so far, the Under-20 team is complying with the planned programme”, including a friendly fixture against England later this week.
England’s Football Association has not confirmed whether it will field a team for the World Cup. However, as things stand, coach Lydia Bedford’s Young Lionesses squad are continuing preparations for the tournament.
