Countries weigh diplomatic snub of Russia’s WC

MOSCOW: The diplomatic snub of Russia’s World Cup gathered steam Tuesday as four countries said they were either not sending officials in support of Britain´s partial boycott or considering the move. London last week said British ministers and royals would not attend the showpiece in protest over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England. The Skripals survived the nerve agent attack but remain in critical condition. British Prime Minister Theresa May said her government had found that Russia was “culpable” of the attack — a charge Moscow angrily denies. England is still expected to send its team and none of the 31 nations that qualified alongside the host have said they would not do so. But Polish President Andrzej Duda´s office said he will be skipping the tournament´s opening ceremony on June 14 in Moscow. “Yesterday, the president made the decision not to participate as a representative of Poland at the World Cup in Russia,” presidential chief of staff Krzysztof Szczerski told RMF FM radio.