Lisa Nandy: Uefa boycott should not penalise women's football

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has stated that a potential boycott of next month's U20 Women's World Cup should not penalize the players involved. UEFA and its members have threatened to boycott FIFA competitions following president Gianni Infantino's proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

Nandy, who believes it is time for a change in FIFA leadership, emphasized that she does not support sporting boycotts. She argues that such actions divide people and unfairly punish competitors who are not responsible for the underlying governance disputes.

I am not generally in favour of sporting boycotts full stop, because I think they divide people from one another, I think they unfairly penalise athletes and competitors who are not responsible for the reason that these boycotts take place. Lisa Nandy

The tournament is scheduled to take place in Poland from September 5-27. The Polish Football Association confirmed they have received no notification of withdrawals, and other nations, including France and Portugal, have reiterated their intention to compete. The England U20 squad, led by coach Lydia Bedford, is continuing its preparations as planned.