Britain announces its boycott of the 2018 World Cup in Russia

 British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that her country would officially boycott the 2018 World Cup in Russia because of the recent charge of poisoning a former spy in England

"There will be no ministers or, of course, members of the royal family attending the World Cup this summer in Russia," Mae told the House of Representatives in a statement announcing the suspension of bilateral relations between Moscow and London

Read more: Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats in response to Scrippel assassination

May announced a series of sanctions against Russia, notably the expulsion of 23 diplomats and the freezing of high-level diplomatic contacts, accusing Moscow of poisoning former Russian agent Sergey Scrippel and his daughter, who were found unconscious after exposure to nerve gas in Salisbury, southwest England, on 4 March

As tensions between London and Moscow escalated over the past few days, British press reports quoted British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as suggesting that England could boycott the World Cup. In her speech, however, Mai did not address this issue

Shortly after May's remarks, the British Foreign Office warned its citizens who wished to go to Russia from the risk of being harassed after the tension escalated between the two countries, calling them to vigilance

"If you are currently in Russia or are going to go to them in the coming weeks, we recommend vigilance and avoid commenting publicly on recent political developments

In the first response to a direct Russian official, the head of the local committee, Alexei Sorokin, played down the impact of the British decision on the tournament. "It is up to every fan to come to the World Cup or not," he told local news agency RIA Novosti

"It is regrettable that not everyone is committed to the principle of leaving football outside of politics," he said

England were in the Group D final with Belgium, Panama and Tunisia, which begin their campaign on June 18 at the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd