The British government has been praised for its decisive action over the attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury, but so far it has shied away from the big decision and it is not going to be a popular move. Should England compete in the World Cup in Russia this summer? Well, obviously not. With tensions between the two countries at Cold War levels it would be madness to allow England to play in Russia. Not only will the team be put at risk so will the thousands of England fans who are planning to travel to Moscow. The travel advice from the Foreign Office for those heading to Russia is clear: do not draw attention to the fact that you are British and do not get involved in any political arguments. You can't exactly keep a low profile and try and hide your nationality when you are wearing a replica England football shirt.
So, this is the big decision for Theresa May and her cabinet. But of course thousands of England fans have probably already booked their tickets and millions of others are looking forward to seeing England in action in the World Cup back home. The decision can't be delayed, action needs to be taken now. But I suspect that it will be a decision too far for the British government. Now that both Britain and Russia have expelled diplomats, what is the next move for May? If Britain wants to continue to raise the tensions with Moscow it makes England's participation in the World Cup even more dangerous. The Russian public have been convinced that their motherland had nothing to do with the attack in Salisbury and the whole episode has been "fabricated" by the British government. In other words the British aren't exactly popular in Russia at the moment. May needs to act and cancel England's participation in the World Cup.