UEFA's World Cup boycott all set to collapse as England, France and more prepare to do battle in FIFA's Women's Under-20 tournament

It was on July 30, two days after FIFA confirmed its FFE proposal, that UEFA released a statement "unanimously and unequivocally" rejecting the plans.

"The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product," it, and its 55 member associations, said. "As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership."

A day later, FIFA announced that the proposal would not proceed. "It has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place," a statement from Infantino read.

However, while UEFA welcomed the news, a statement in the days that followed suggested that a boycott was not suddenly off the table: "First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn, and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again. These conditions have not been met."

In the days and weeks since, statements aplenty have come through from across the globe echoing concern about FIFA's leadership. But with regards to the potential boycott of the U20 Women's World Cup, there has not been much to suggest it will happen. Indeed, the Guardian now understands that UEFA is poised to drop the threat after being provided with assurances that anything equal to the ill-fated FFE proposal could be put on the table.

It follows a rather muted build-up to the tournament, with teams going about their business in preparation for the World Cup and, just a day after UEFA's statement on conditions not being met, the French Football Federation even going as far as to tell BBC Sport: "For now, France will be participating in the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup."

It was the only committed statement of its kind, with nothing of that official manner coming from the other five European teams qualified for the tournament - hosts Poland, plus Italy, England, Portugal and Spain. Announcements have, however, been filtering through regarding the squads that each nation will be taking to the World Cup, set to kick-off on September 5.

There are arguments for and against both a boycott of the Women's U20 World Cup and otherwise. After all, it would be unfair for the chaos FIFA is embroiled in to impact the best young women's footballers in the world, many of whom are hoping to shine on this big stage for the first, and perhaps only, time. Why should it be these players, mostly teenagers just looking forward to the honour of playing at a World Cup, who are put in this position and potentially robbed of such an opportunity?

There is a sentiment within the women's game that it would be a real shame if it was women's football, now on an upward trajectory after fighting for recognition and respect for so long, most disrupted by the controversy, with next week's World Cup not the only potential event to be impacted. The U17 Women's World Cup will follow in October before UEFA nations participate in qualifiers for the senior tournament, to be held next summer in Brazil, at the end of the month. It's hard not to share in that view.

But if this U20 World Cup goes ahead smoothly, will the biggest winner be Infantino? His tenure as FIFA president has certainly brought about positives for women's football, but that the proposal for the creation of FFE barely mentioned the women's game felt significant. Any UEFA boycott of this tournament would certainly trigger reform, and that would likely only be good for women's football.

Or perhaps this whole fiasco with Infantino will be enough to lead to a new FIFA president anyway, when the next election comes along in March.

Amid a lack of comments from the powers that be on the possibility of the tournament going ahead, or not, in the last few weeks, it is quotes from the managers involved which have been the best way to take the temperature. Speaking to BBC Sport earlier this month, during the Young Lionesses' preparation camp in Portugal, England U20 head coach Lydia Bedford said of any potential boycott: "From my perspective the message from leadership all along has been, 'Just continue as usual', so we have."

Elsewhere, speaking to reporters just last week, Vicky Jepson, head coach of the United States' U20s, was asked if there was a suggestion of the tournament not happening.

"No, absolutely not," she replied. "And I work at a great federation that would be pulling me in a meeting to inform me of that. It's business as usual and we're all prepared. I know there's a lot of noise around it, but that noise hasn't slipped into our camp, and it's certainly something that I've not been concerned about because the federation has never once said to me that there's a concern about this tournament going ahead."

What it means for FIFA, Infantino and UEFA's stance if the U20 Women's World Cup goes ahead, only time will tell. As it stands, though, it looks like it will, as some of the best young talents in the women's game look to emulate previous stars of this tournament, such as Patri Guijarro, Marta, Asisat Oshoala, Christine Sinclair and Alyssa Naeher, amid a tumultuous political background.

Click here to read article