Gareth Southgate to dismiss World Cup boycott in wake of Russian spy row
Attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter have sparked calls for the Three Lions to skip the tournament
GARETH SOUTHGATE will confirm tomorrow he expects England to be at this summer’s World Cup finals.
Calls for a Three Lions boycott have grown after the attempted murder of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson even suggested UK involvement might not “go ahead in the normal way”.
But he later clarified this was referring to diplomatic representatives at Russia 2018, rather than England’s participation.
MPs from all parties have now added their voices to boycott calls, with Labour MP John Woodcock telling the BBC: “I’m afraid England’s participation in the World Cup ought to be in question.”
But FA chiefs have not even considered the idea of snubbing the tournament.
Lions boss Southgate expects the issue to be raised when he unveils his squad for the friendlies with Italy and Holland at St George’s Park tomorrow.
But he is expected to make clear he is entirely focused on preparing for their participation. FA bigwigs have held informal talks with the Government over recent weeks — but the idea of a boycott has NEVER been raised.
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A spokesman for the FA confirmed: “This is a Government issue and while we are in contact with them, nothing has changed regarding our participation in the World Cup.”
Southgate has been told to continue with his plans for the build-up to the tournament.
And his biggest problem tomorrow will be selecting a squad in the near-certain absence of injured Harry Kane and the expectation of a number of other pull-outs.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has mocked talk of a Three Lions snub.
In a statement, it said: “As we expected, the UK is especially active, being unable to forgive Russia for winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup in a fair struggle.”
FIFA have apologised to fans who spent hours yesterday trying to buy World Cup tickets online.
A limited allocation was made available for games including England’s clash with Belgium on June 28 — causing the entire system to crash.