\u201cAnd if that means boycotting competitions, then that has to happen.<\/p>\n
Chelsea and England defender Lucy Bronze said a boycott of Fifa competitions could be the “right thing” to do. Photo \/\u00a0Jason\u00a0Dorday<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for the future of the game and not just for me today and tomorrow. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for all the little girls or little boys who come after us to make sure that they\u2019re in a good place when the game\u2019s moving forward in decades to come, not just tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Members of Fifa\u2019s management board were summoned to the body\u2019s office in Rabat, Morocco, to discuss criticism of the now-cancelled proposal to create a commercial subsidiary<\/a>, called Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), to run its key events, like the World Cup, and to allow external investors to buy a stake in it.<\/p>\n Even with the apology for the plans, the management board reaffirmed its support for Infantino\u2019s presidency<\/a>, causing Uefa to reassert its position. <\/p>\n \u201cUefa\u2019s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in Fifa competitions<\/a>,\u201d Uefa said in a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cFirst, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.<\/p>\n \u201cThese conditions have not been met. <\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, Uefa made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino<\/a>\u2019s presidency. That position holds.\u201d<\/p>\n A boycott by Uefa would prevent its member associations from participating in next year\u2019s Women\u2019s World Cup in Brazil, meaning Bronze\u2019s England and 2023 winners Spain<\/a> would not participate. <\/p>\n Bronze spoke with her club coach Sonia Bompastor before their pre-season fixture with the Auckland FC Women\u2019s Invitational XI on August 8, where the defender said she was disappointed England weren\u2019t able to play in New Zealand during the 2023 Women\u2019s World Cup<\/a>, but she reminisced on her experience in Aotearoa during her early playing days.<\/p>\n \u201cMy first experience was actually in New Zealand when I was 16 years old; I played in the [U17] World Cup here,\u201d Bronze said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was my first experience playing in stadiums, obviously not many people, because back then there wasn\u2019t a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n However, she said players within the Chelsea team who stayed in Auckland during the World Cup have been sharing their experiences, while one coffee shop has seen business boom since the team\u2019s arrival. <\/p>\n \u201cAll the girls have got a map of Auckland of each coffee shop, I think there\u2019s a coffee shop that\u2019s actually got a signed shirt off the girls,\u201d she said. <\/p>\nChelsea Women’s coach Sonia Bompastor (left) and defender Lucy Bronze speak ahead of their match against Auckland FC Women’s Invitational XI on Saturday. Photo \/\u00a0Jason\u00a0Dorday<\/p>\n
European football’s governing body Uefa reaffirmed that it had lost confidence in Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
Bronze’s Chelsea will play Auckland FC Women’s Invitational XI at Eden Park on Saturday. Photo \/\u00a0Jason\u00a0Dorday<\/p>\n