England Under-20 head coach Lydia Bedford says the FA has told her to carry on as normal ahead of next month’s U20 Women’s World Cup, despite UEFA’s ongoing threat to boycott the tournament.
Bedford said she hasn’t spent much time thinking about the wider situation as she prepares to name her Young Lionesses squad next week.
Football has been locked in a dispute since it emerged that FIFA president Gianni Infantino explored selling stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors.
Although the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal was dropped earlier this month, UEFA and its 55 member associations have maintained their boycott threat, leaving the U20 Women’s World Cup as the first event potentially affected.
Speaking in Portugal after England beat the hosts in a warm-up match, Bedford addressed the issue for the first time. She said she learned of the developments when her father unexpectedly called her while she was at a London theatre, but added that leadership’s guidance has consistently been to continue as usual. She said the staff haven’t discussed it with the players, focusing instead on training and ensuring the team is as prepared as possible.