Nandy warns against penalising women's footballers as FIFA-UEFA boycott row threatens Under-20 World Cup

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said women's footballers must not be "penalised" by the boycott threatening next month's Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, even as she backs UEFA's hardline stance against FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The tournament is due to run from 5 to 27 September, with England, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France all scheduled to compete. But the whole event sits in the shadow of a dispute that has split the global game.

UEFA and its 55 member associations voted unanimously — 55-0, according to a source cited by Reuters — to boycott FIFA competitions in protest at Infantino's plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Nandy described UEFA's position as a "principled decision that we strongly support," and told Infantino directly that "football belongs to the fans" (ESPN).

Now the question is whether that boycott threat will pull teams out of a youth tournament that is weeks away.

Poland, the host nation, says it has received no formal notice of any withdrawals. The Polish Football Association (PZPN) told BBC Sport it had not been informed of any participating team pulling out, and believes the situation will be resolved swiftly so young players can compete. Its priority, it said, is ensuring the best possible conditions for the competition.

Some federations are pushing ahead regardless. The French Football Federation confirmed the previous week that it intends to take part. Portugal told BBC Sport its Under-20 squad is still following its planned programme, including a friendly against England.

England's own position is less clear. The Football Association had not confirmed whether it would field a team. Meanwhile, coach Lydia Bedford's Young Lionesses — the national Under-20 side — were continuing their preparations as of the report.

For the players, the stakes are simple and personal. An Under-20 World Cup is a career milestone: a global stage for teenagers chasing senior international futures, the kind of tournament that can fast-track a name from academy obscurity to public recognition. Nandy's intervention draws a clear line between the political fight between football's governing bodies and the young athletes caught in the crossfire.

The dispute itself is straightforward in outline, sprawling in consequence. FIFA, the global governing body, wants to bring private investment into the World Cup by selling stakes in the tournament. UEFA, which runs the European game, sees that as a step too far toward commercialising football's most treasured competition. The 55 European associations stood together at an emergency meeting, and the threat now hangs over every FIFA event on the calendar — including one scheduled to kick off in Poland in under a month.

Whether the stand-off is resolved before the first ball is kicked remains an open question. The Polish hosts are optimistic. The federations are, for now, preparing as planned. But until the boycott is either enacted or withdrawn, the tournament exists in a strange limbo — a World Cup that may or may not have a full field.