The Times: The English Football Association postpones the announcement of the U20 Women's World Cup squad in protest against Gianni Infantino.

According to The Times, England has postponed the announcement of its U20 World Cup squad due to UEFA's boycott of Gianni Infantino.

The Football Association (FA) attributed the delay to "operational reasons," while fans around the world united in an effort to oust FIFA's controversial president, Gianni Infantino.

Despite widespread criticism of his FIFA "Forward Plan," Gianni Infantino is still struggling to maintain his power.

The FA can neither confirm nor deny that UEFA's threat of boycott was the reason behind the decision to delay the release of England's U20 Women's World Cup squad by 24 hours.

The U20 World Cup is FIFA's first tournament since Gianni Infantino's failed attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. The tournament will be held in Poland from September 5 to 27. England is one of six European teams participating, the other five being host Poland, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

FA attributed the delay in announcing its national team roster to "operational reasons," but UEFA threatened on July 30 to boycott FIFA-affiliated competitions in protest against Gianni Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan. Although the plan was declared bankrupt on July 31, UEFA stated on August 6 that a boycott was still a possibility. To counter this threat, the European football governing body stated that "guarantees must be made that such attempts to undermine the sport in this way will never again occur."

Since then, a stalemate has been formed. Despite widespread condemnation, Infantino has refused to relinquish his position as FIFA president, while UEFA member countries are proceeding with preparations for the U20 tournament as usual, while insisting that a boycott is still an option under consideration.

England's delayed announcement of their squad list has fueled speculation that a solution has yet to be found. The delay was confirmed at 10:12 am on Thursday – less than four hours before the originally scheduled announcement. The squad list is now expected to be officially announced at 2 pm on Friday.

The boycott will set a crucial precedent for FIFA events, which will be severely impacted without the participation of European nations. The next Women's World Cup is scheduled to be held in Brazil next summer, with European countries, including all four British teams, participating in qualifying playoffs starting October 9th. The next Men's World Cup will be held in 2030.

UEFA has not yet specified the exact content of the "guarantees" it is demanding, but has requested independent reviews of club financial oversight (FFE) programs and the retention of relevant documents. UEFA has also demanded Infantino's resignation.

As long as the threat of a boycott persists, the U20 World Cup will remain shrouded in uncertainty. The Polish Football Association stated last week that it "believes the current situation will be resolved quickly," but failed to provide any updates when asked about the situation on Thursday.

Former England footballer Bloomer stated that she supports UEFA's boycott of all FIFA-affiliated competitions, calling it "for the healthy development of the sport."

The French Football Federation stated last week that it "currently" expects to participate and announced its squad last Friday. Spain has also announced its squad.

England U20 manager Lydia Bedford told the BBC last week that she was told to “go about her business as usual,” while England defender Lucy Bronz, who has made 148 appearances for the national team, expressed support for UEFA’s boycott.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the CONCACAF have both demanded Infantino's resignation, but have not proposed boycotting the relevant matches.

At the same time, a coalition of fan organizations from all six continental confederations of FIFA released a petition demanding Infantino's resignation.

The petition, initiated by the European Football Supporters Association, also calls for substantial reforms from FIFA. Launched at 11 a.m. on Thursday, it had garnered over 20,000 signatures by that evening.

"FIFA President Gianni Infantino's shameful attempt to sell the World Cup to private investors exposes a betrayal that the football world will never forget," said the European Fans Organization (FSE).

The petition has been supported by 42 fan groups, 34 of which are located in European countries, including all four constituent countries of the UK.