England head coach Lydia Bedford says the Football Association has instructed her to “carry on as normal” ahead of next month’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup, even though European football authorities have warned they could withdraw from the competition.
Bedford said she has not focused heavily on the wider situation while preparing to announce her Young Lionesses squad next week.
The sport became caught up in a significant dispute after reports emerged that Fifa president Gianni Infantino intended to sell shares in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors.
European football’s governing body and its 55 member associations warned that they could refuse to participate in Fifa tournaments. That possibility remains despite the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal being dropped earlier this month, with the Under-20 Women’s World Cup potentially the first competition affected.
After England defeated Portugal in a warm-up match in Portugal, Bedford addressed the possible boycott publicly for the first time.
“I was at a theatre in London when my dad unexpectedly called and I wondered what was going on. From my point of view, the leadership has consistently told us to carry on as normal, and that is what we have done,” she said.
“We have barely discussed it with the players because we want to use every chance we get on the training pitch to ensure this team is as well prepared as possible.
“That has remained our only priority.”
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