The feud between Britain's most famous footballing brothers was reopened yesterday when Sir Bobby Charlton broke his silence about years of rancour with his brother Jack, accusing his 1966 World Cup team-mate of making 'absolutely disgraceful' statements about his wife.

Sir Bobby, who is promoting his autobiography published next month, spoke for the first time about the rift between his wife and his late mother and admitted that he now rarely sees Jack, even at Christmas.