Russia make fresh bid to defuse row with England over 2018 bid storm

Russia have sent England a letter attempting to end the storm surrounding the rival 2018 World Cup bids.

Alexei Sorokin, general director of the Russian bid, revealed that he had penned the letter to put to rest ‘any misunderstanding’ between the countries.

On Tuesday, England’s bid team lodged an official complaint with FIFA over Sorokin’s remarks over London.

Say sorry: England 2018 bid team have lodged an official complaint against Russia following claims from their bid leader Alexei Sorokin

Say sorry: England 2018 bid team have lodged an official complaint against Russia following claims from their bid leader Alexei Sorokin

Earlier this month, he had said: ‘It’s no secret that London has the highest crime rate when compared with other European cities, and the highest level of alcohol consumption among young people.’

But Sorokin has now made a fresh bid to end the simmering row between the nations.

He said: ‘It wasn’t a formal apology because I don’t feel like I’ve broken any rules. I just expressed my regret over the whole thing, it was just a misunderstanding.

Looking for answers: FIFA president Sepp Blatter met Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month to discuss England's 2018 bid

Looking for answers: FIFA president Sepp Blatter met Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month to discuss England's 2018 bid

‘All of us in the Russian bid team have a great deal of respect for our English colleagues and I’d like to think they respect us as well. I hope we can put this matter to rest for good now.’

England and Russia are bidding for the 2018 finals along with joint bids from Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Holland.