Of all places, a Moskovite felt the need to warn the Olympic Committee not to award the 2018 Soccer World Cup to England, "due to the high crime rate and the culture of public binge drinking there." This despite the fact that based on these two criteria Moscow would be ruled out for the next 300 years: deaths from excessive alcohol consumption - Moscovites drink vodka like Brits jug down cider - are 1,300 per cent more than in London, and the number of murders is six-fold that of London (2009 figures).
The leader of Russia's 2018 World Cup bid today had to apologise for making slurs against London after a personal intervention by Mayor Boris Johnson. Alexei Sorokin, chief executive of the Russian campaign team, was forced on the defensive after he said London was plagued with record levels of crime and youth binge-drinking. His humiliating U-turn came after aides of the London Mayor this morning contacted Sorokin's office to demand an explanation for the outburst.
Mayor Johnson immediately refuted the claims, writing on Twitter: "Can't believe Russian slurs over 2018 bid. Pls tell them crime is down & London's the most tolerant city in the world."
A spokesman for Sorokin said the comments reported in the Russian paper Sport Express were "mistranslated" and taken out of context. The spokesman said: "Mr Sorokin regrets if his statements have led to such an erroneous interpretation and understanding."
Sport Express initially reported Sorokin as saying: "We do not enter into squabbles, although we have much to say. It's no secret, for example, that in London they have the highest crime rate compared with other European cities [FALSE], and the highest level of alcohol consumption among young people [not per capita].”
Sorokin's comments could land him in trouble with FIFA, whose strict rules prohibit comments about rival bidders.
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