England fans back World Cup boycott

The measure was taken by the UK government after the death of an ex-spy on English soil was pinned on Russia. Sergei Skripal and his daughter are both in a critical condition in hospital, and the nerve agent used to poison them is reportedly of Russian origin.

Theresa May announced on Wednesday that ministers and members of the Royal Family would not be attending the event in response to the incident, although Russia denies involvment.

'Forza Football', an app that collates fan opinion, has polled supporters of the English national team about whether the boycott should extend to the team itself, and nearly half of those surveyed answered positively. 48% of the 1000 fans asked responded that a boycott from the team would be the right decision.

That being said, there are no current plans for Gareth Southgate's team to cancel their trip to Russia. Speaking in response to Theresa May's announcement, Southgate said that as far as he knows, England will be in attendance. "My job as the England football manager is to concentrate on football and prepare the team," he stated.

"As far as all my briefings and information is, we're preparing to go to the World Cup. There is no doubt in my mind that is what we should be doing."

"The highest importance is the safety and security of our players and absolutely our travelling supporters. They're the things we're focused on."