LONDON (AP) — England coach Gareth Southgate says his team should go to the World Cup in Russia despite blaming the country for poisoning a former spy in Britain.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered politicians and royals not to attend the World Cup after former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious after being exposed to a nerve agent.
But the government has not ordered the national soccer team to boycott the June 14-July 15 soccer tournament.
Southgate says it’s a “serious matter” and “developing very quickly.” But based on the briefings he has received, he says “we are preparing to go to the World Cup. There is no doubt in my mind that is what we should be doing.”
England’s World Cup campaign opens against Tunisia on June 18 in Volgograd.