Aug 7 (Reuters) - England defender Lucy Bronze said European players would support a boycott of FIFA competitions if necessary, backing UEFA's opposition to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino despite his apology over plans to sell a World Cup stake to private investors.
Speaking ahead of her club side Chelsea's pre-season friendly on Saturday against Auckland in New Zealand, the 34-year-old Bronze said protecting the long-term future of the sport was more important than missing out on marquee events.
"I think the message that we stand by as players, and obviously as European competitions as well, is it's for the good of the game," the 34-year-old told reporters.
"I think the players who play in those competitions, the European players, we stand by our beliefs and what the right thing is for our game. And if that means boycotting competitions, then that has to happen.
"It's for the future of the game and not just for me today and tomorrow. It's for all the little girls or little boys who come after us, to make sure that they're in a good place when the game's moving forward in decades to come, not just tomorrow."
Bronze's comments came after UEFA, Europe's soccer governing body, said on Thursday its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, remained in place despite FIFA abandoning the investment proposal and Infantino apologising.
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland are due to compete in qualifying playoffs in October for the 2027 Women's World Cup, meaning any escalation of the dispute could have implications for European teams.
UEFA said in a statement on Thursday that Infantino's apology "changes nothing" and reiterated that it had not regained confidence in his leadership.
While FIFA's decision to scrap the investment plan addressed one of UEFA's demands, the European governing body said a second condition had not been met. UEFA has called for assurances that similar proposals will not be put forward again in the future.
The first major test of UEFA's stance could come next month at the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing in Manchester; Editing by Ken Ferris)
