Bedford: 'Continue As Usual' Despite UEFA Boycott Threat
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- Lydia Bedford told BBC Sport in Portugal that the FA's message throughout has been 'just continue as usual,' even as UEFA's boycott threat over the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal remains active ahead of the 5-27 September tournament in Poland.
- UEFA and its 55 members first threatened to boycott FIFA competitions after revelations that president Gianni Infantino planned to sell stakes in World Cup competitions to private investors; the boycott threat still stands despite the FFE proposal being abandoned earlier this month, with the Under-20 Women's World Cup the first tournament that could be impacted.
- Six European teams are set to take part in the tournament, and BBC Sport understands none of them have told hosts Poland they are withdrawing — England's squad is due to be named next week after a 2-0 friendly win over Portugal U20s in Lisbon.
- Lucy Bronze recently said boycotting FIFA competitions would be the right thing 'for the good of the game,' despite the impact on women's football, while Poland's Weronika Arasniewicz pushed back: 'Don't do it. Let the football be there. Let's enjoy football.'
- Bedford, appointed England women's Under-23s coach in March, said she has 'an incredibly difficult decision' naming her squad and has not raised the boycott with her players: 'every opportunity we have to get on the grass and prepare this team we want to be in the best position possible.'
Why it matters: Six European federations face a binary choice between backing UEFA's political protest and protecting their youth players' tournament experience — the FA has already chosen competition over confrontation, while senior player Lucy Bronze backs the boycott 'for the good of the game,' exposing a split inside the England camp between leadership and its most capped voice.
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