International Beef: Russia Disses England Over World Cup Bid, Apologizes

There are no better bedfellows than sports and international politics, so leave it to the competing 2018 World Cup bids of England and Russia to dust off some of that old schoolyard smack talk and join the fray with their claws out (before having to retract them and deliver a standard-issue apology at the behest of Those Who Make The Decisions).

FIFA rules prohibit bidding nations from making any comments at all about the other vying countries, a memo which certainly never made its way into the hands of Alexei Sorokin, director of the Russian bid. Take it away, Alexei:

Sorokin was quoted as telling The Sport-Express newspaper that London had a higher crime rate than other European cities and that it had the highest level of alcohol consumption among young people. He later said his comments had been “misinterpreted and distorted.”

Wait, the Russian representative talked smack about the alcoholic tendencies of another country? Either he actually was misinterpreted or there’s no Russian equivalent of black pots & kettles. And crime? In the sprawling metropolis of a world capital? Well, I never. Think of the poor children affected most – drunk teenagers stumbling around, being pickpocketed by other drunk teenagers and so forth in some sort of sad, dystopian never-ending loop of Cockney squalor, if Mr. Sorokin is to be believed.

Of course, as with everything interesting that happens these days, Russia issued an apology — totally out of the contrition in their hearts by the way, and certainly having nothing to do with the complaint the English team lodged with FIFA and subsequently retracted. They’re totally super sorry, guys.

With any luck the two other 2018 bid teams, collaborative efforts of Team Iberia (Spain/Portugal) and Belgium/Netherlands, will pick up where Russia and England left off and lob some verbal grenades at each other’s reputation leading up to the December 2 FIFA decision. For instance, I happen to know first hand that they often play loud music in Barcelona, sometimes even at night. You listening, Belgium?

Russia Says Sorry For Gibe At London’s World Cup Bid [The New York Times]