Lucy Bronze says Uefa boycott of Fifa competitions is 'right thing' for future of the game
England defender Lucy Bronze said in New Zealand on Chelsea's pre-season tour on Thursday that a Uefa boycott of Fifa competitions would be the "right thing" for the future of the game, while acknowledging the move could affect women's football.
The boycott vote followed a plan by Fifa president Gianni Infantino to sell stakes in competitions to private investors; European football's 55 member associations voted to boycott all Fifa competitions until the proposals were dropped. The plans were later aborted and Infantino apologised for his "errors", but Uefa said in a statement on Thursday that the boycott could still go ahead.
Women’s competitions would be the first to feel the effects if Uefa proceeds, with the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup due to start on 5 September and six European teams — England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland — scheduled to take part.
"I think the players who play in those competitions, the European players, we stand by our beliefs and what the right thing is for our game," said Bronze, who was speaking in New Zealand on Chelsea's pre-season tour. She added: "And if that means boycotting competitions, then that has to happen. "It's for the future of the game and not just for me today and tomorrow. "It's for all the little girls or little boys who come after us to make sure that they're in a good place when the game's moving forward in decades to come, not just tomorrow."
Former England defender Anita Asante warned of immediate consequences for women's tournaments, saying: "The first casualties will be women's football tournaments. "If this isn't resolved by the time of England's qualifiers, then the impact could be huge and it is already a busy schedule." Baroness Campbell, former Football Association director of women's football, described it as "tragic" that women's football could be first to be affected.
In October, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland all have qualifiers for next summer's Women's World Cup in Brazil; should they not feature in the play-offs because of Uefa's boycott, European teams — including defending champions Spain — would not be able to participate in the tournament, which starts in June. Also in October, the Under-17 Women's World Cup is scheduled to take place in Morocco.
The English FA has sent a letter withdrawing its support for Infantino, while Wales, Albania and Croatia are among other individual associations to have turned their back on the 56-year-old.
