British journalists could reportedly be banned from entering Russia to cover the World Cup this summer as a result of the escalating diplomatic row between the UK and the Kremlin.
Prime minister Theresa May has expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the UK and threatened further sanctions after accusing the Russian state of attempting to murder a former Russian spy and his daughter with a chemical weapon on British soil earlier this month.
As a result of the incident, the UK has also announced that no ministers or members of family will be attending the World Cup - due to begin in June - and telecoms regulator Ofcom has threatened to withdraw the broadcasting licence for Russia Today (RT), an English-language, Russian-centric news channel funded by the Russian government.
Speaking late on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the country would ban "every single British news outlet" from the World Cup if RT were to be closed down.
England's participation in the tournament is not thought to be in doubt at the present time but the FA would be forced to reconsider its position if British media outlets were prevented from covering their home team.
Neil Wilkes
