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Russian football bosses have been assured that the training pitches at their World Cup base in Japan will be up to standard after they were vandalised over the weekend.

Local police were called into the Shimizu National Training Centre on Monday morning after groundsmen reported that two of their pitches had been sprayed with weedkiller.

But centre officials moved swiftly to assuage the Russian team's fears promising to have everything restored to normal by the time that they arrive on May 26.

"We have received assurances from the Japanese party that the fields will be in a normal condition, and that we will be able to train without any problems," said the general secretary of the Russian football union Vladimir Radionov.

He was also advised that Shimizu has a third pitch nearby.

Since the incident security has been stepped up around the centre and other World Cup venues.

The police have so far made no comment who was responsible but speculation has ranged from local vandals to right-wing extremists seeking publicity.

Japanese ultra-nationalists have been increasingly vocal in their attacks on Russia recently over the slow progress made in the sovereignty talks being held over the Kuriles Islands off northern Japan.

Japan is demanding the return of all four islands while Russia wants to hold talks on two islands at a time.

Russia are drawn in the same preliminary Group as Belgium, Tunisia and the co-hosts Japan, who they play in Yokohama on June 9.