Fifa's investigation into potential corruption in the bidding process to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments does not seemed to have ended the dirty tricks.

Fifa are looking into allegations of bribes being offered in return for votes, as well as vote-swapping between bidding nations.

That has not ended the acrimony, with the leader of the Russian bid portraying England as crime-ridden and blighted by drunken youths.

Alexei Sorokin's comments were made to the Sport Express newspaper, and are a clear breach of Fifa rules which prevent bids from criticising rivals.

He complained about British newspaper reports of alleged racism in Russian football, accusing the West Bromwich Albion forward Peter Odemwingie and seeking publicity from banners featuring a banner that greeted his departure from Lokomotiv Moscow.

Sorokin claimed his bid would not "enter into squabbles", before doing exactly that.

"It is no secret, for example, that London [has] the highest crime rate when compared with other European cities, and the highest level of alcohol consumption among young people," he said.

"We could start a conversation about the lack of tolerance and inciting ethnic hatred by English fans but do not behave like the aunt in the kitchen criticising our neighbours. The [banana] banner was not racist. It was directed against a particular player who got very good money, lived very well here but for some reason did not seem to want to play well."