Polls reveals sizeable support for England World Cup boycott
A YouGov survey of 1,986 adults for the Times found 34% of those it questioned would back pulling Gareth Southgate’s team out of the finals in Russia this summer.
Some 39% rejected the idea and 27% said they were unsure, while among those who were football fans, 32% also favoured a boycott and 56% believed the team should take part.
Twelve percent of football fans said they were unsure.
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Hide AdMPs have raised questions over the national team’s participation, as well as concerns over the safety of the travelling fans.
The four-yearly sporting extravaganza is due to kick off in Moscow on June 14, and is expected to be used by Vladimir Putin as a massive PR opportunity for his country.
But Labour’s Stephen Kinnock suggested Britain should ask Fifa to postpone the tournament to 2019 and take it away from Russia in retaliation for the Salisbury poisoning.
His fellow Labour MP John Woodcock also called for Parliament to debate whether the Government should ask its allies to advocate postponing the summer championship or move it to another country.
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Hide AdThe Barrow and Furness MP earlier said England’s participation “ought to be in question”, while Conservative chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, raised fears football fans travelling to the country for the tournament may be at risk of harm if tensions escalate between London and Moscow.
Theresa May has said no Government ministers or members of the Royal Family will attend and the Foreign Office has warned England fans planning to travel to Russia that they should “be aware of the possibility of anti-British sentiment or harassment”.
But the Government has not given its backing to a boycott of the tournament, insisting that the England team’s involvement is a matter for the Football Association.