The embassy noted that it is not a "surprise" why there were too few England supporters in Moscow "after months of trying so hard to discourage fans from going to Russia."
Surprise: @thetimes complains of too few England🏴 supporters in Moscow — after months of trying so hard to discourage fans from going to Russia! pic.twitter.com/HysKWpqHoq
— Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) June 30, 2018
The statement comes after The Times newspaper reported that there would be few England team’s fans at the upcoming match against Colombia on Tuesday, with only 1,500 tickets bought by the UK nationals.
READ MORE: England Fan Shames British Media After Visiting World Cup in Russia
The ties between Moscow and UK media have significantly deteriorated in the wake of the alleged poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the British city of Salisbury in March. The UK side immediately blamed Russia for the alleged "attack" despite the fact that the probe hasn't been concluded up to the current moment.
At the same time, UK media outlets have been trying to discredit Russia as the host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the recent months by warning the UK fans against attending the championship, citing security concerns.