Former Liverpool and Chelsea chief urges England to join with Germany, France and Spain and boycott World Cup

A former top aide to Roman Abramovich at Chelsea FC yesterday urged Britain and allies to boycott the World Cup in Russia this summer.

The Stamford Bridge club’s ex-managing director Christian Purslow, 54, said England, France, Germany and Spain should quit the competition to highlight opposition to Vladimir Putin .

“If Europe’s three leading football nations who bookmakers expect to be semi-finalists in the World Cup – Germany, France and Spain – were to decide that an unprovoked nerve agent attack by Russia on a NATO ally merited joining England in a boycott, it would destroy the credibility and attraction of the tournament and hurt Putin’s popularity more than any economic or diplomatic sanction,” the former Liverpool chief wrote in a letter to The Times.

“Our government could not target a measure which would be better guaranteed to make clear to the Russian people what their leader is up to and what right-thinking citizens of the world feel about it.”

Pressure is mounting on England to snub the tournament following the Salisbury outrage, blamed on Moscow.

Theresa May has already confirmed senior royals and ministers will boycott the spectacle.

Meanwhile, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and major Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov could face a crackdown on wealthy, UK-based Russians, it was claimed.

The pair were named by the US on a list of Putin cronies.

The US Treasury file put them among the top 210 Russians with huge fortunes or close links to the Kremlin.

Mr Abramovich and Mr Usmanov are on the oligarchs’ list, reported to Congress, based on their having more than $1billion.

Signalling a toughening of the position, a Whitehall source told the Express: “No one will be given preferential treatment, regardless of their status.”