Russia has taunted Britain with an infamous photo of England's 1938 football team performing Nazi salutes – after Boris Johnson likened the upcoming World Cup to Hitler's Olympics.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov sent the snap to the Foreign Secretary as the diplomatic row over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury with a nerve agent last month continues to escalate, The Mirror reports.

The image served to remind Mr Johnson of a shameful episode in English history where English players gave Nazi salutes to the crowd in Berlin's Olympic stadium on May 14, 1938.

Captain Eddie Hapgood and the rest of the team had been ordered to do it by the Foreign Office under British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement – but Hitler wasn't even present at the friendly game.

Scroll down for video

Russia has taunted Britain with an infamous photo of England's 1938 football team (left) performing Nazi salutes

It came two months after Germany annexed Austria and paved the way for Chamberlain's 'Peace in our Time' deal with Hitler – which led to the Nazi leader's invasion of Czechoslovakia.

The son of the late Sir Stanley Matthews – who was 23 when the picture when taken – said his father was forced to perform the salute and would have been upset about it.

Stanley Jr told the Sunday People: 'None of the British players wanted to do the salute.

'But they were told by the FA that you'd have to do it or you'd never play for England again.

He added: 'He didn't like being told what to do. This would upset him.'

Meanwhile, a foreign office source told the newspaper that Mr Lavrov was deliberately attempting to provoke the UK government by suggesting 'it was complicit in fascism.'

Mr Lavrov's taunt came after Mr Johnson, in one of many public comments on the case, agreed with a British lawmaker's assertion that Vladimir Putin would exploit the World Cup in Russia this summer as Adolf Hitler did the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (right) sent the snap to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson 9left) as the diplomatic row over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury continues

The charge prompted an angry response from the Kremlin, which branded the comments 'disgusting'.

On Saturday, Britain accused Moscow of pursuing a new 'diversionary tactic' as it considered a request by Russia's Ambassador in London for a meeting with the Foreign Secretary.

The fresh recriminations came after the Russian Embassy in Britain branded its interactions with the foreign office 'utterly unsatisfactory' and said it was 'high time' Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko met Mr Johnson to discuss the probe into the poisoning.

'It's Russia's response that has been unsatisfactory,' a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement, adding it would respond to the request 'in due course'.

'It's over three weeks since we asked Russia to engage constructively and answer a number of questions relating to the attempted assassinations of Mr Skripal and his daughter.

A dark day for English football Swastikas and the British flags were flown side by side in Berlin's Olympic Stadium before England defeated Germany 6-3 on May 14, 1938. But the victory was a mere footnote in the story. Before the friendly match, the England team lined up alongside their German counterparts for pre-match ceremonies. Captain Eddie Hapgood and his men were forced to perform it as a gesture of diplomacy as part of the British government's policy of appeasing Hitler. It provoked outrage in the British press, who were bewildered by English players performing the fascist salute, especially considering the Nazi leader was not even present. The order had come in advance from the British Foreign Office and was part of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's plan to avoid conflict. It came two months after Germany annexed Austria and paved the way for Chamberlain's 'Peace in our Time' deal with Hitler – which led to the Nazi leader's invasion of Czechoslovakia. Appeasement didn't work – just over a year later, Hitler invaded Poland prompting Britain and France declared war. Advertisement

'Now, after failing in their attempts in the UN and international chemical weapons watchdog this week and with the victims' condition improving, they seem to be pursuing a different diversionary tactic.'

Relations between London and Moscow have plumbed new depths following the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, on March 4.

The conditions of the Skripals has continued to improve this week, with the ex-spy no longer in critical condition, the hospital treating him said, and his daughter stating her strength was 'growing daily'.

Britain and its Western allies have blamed the attack on Moscow, accusing it of targeting the pair with a Soviet-made military-grade nerve agent, known as Novichok.

Russia has vehemently denied any involvement.

The Russian Embassy in London said earlier Saturday that Yakovenko had sent a 'personal note' to Johnson asking for the meeting.

'We hope that the British side will engage constructively and that such (a) meeting is arranged shortly,' a spokesperson added.

The overture comes days after Russia unleashed a blistering war of words against Britain at the UN Security Council over the poisoning, warning it was 'playing with fire' and would 'be sorry'.

Moscow had failed Wednesday in a bid to join a probe into the incident by global chemical watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Relations between London and Moscow have plumbed new depths following the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured together) on March 4

The crisis has led to the biggest wave of tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats in recent memory.

On Thursday, some 60 American diplomats who were ordered to leave flew out of Moscow, while a day later the US unveiled new sanctions against seven of the country's most influential oligarchs.

Russia promised a 'tough response'.

A meeting between Johnson and Yakovenko would bring together two of the most vocal players in the drama.

The ambassador held a 90-minute press conference this week in which he denied Russia had ever produced novichok and suggested Britain may be behind the poisoning.

And last month he wrote to a UK policeman hospitalised after exposure to the nerve agent used in Salisbury, insisting on Moscow's innocence and thanking him for his bravery.