(CNN) -- England's 2018 World Cup bid team has made a complaint to FIFA over controversial comments made by the head of the rival Russian campaign.
Andrei Sorokin, the chief executive of Russia 2018, criticized London's crime rate and drinking habits among young people in England.
FIFA rules expressly forbid talking about rival bidders and CNN understands that the England team are seeking a formal apology from Sorokin for his controversial remarks and that the complaint is against him as an individual, not the Russian bid team.
Sorokin was quoted in the Russian daily Sports Express: "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, and the highest level of alcohol consumption among young people."
Russia, England and joint bids from Belgium/Holland and Spain/Portugal are in the race to host the 2018 World Cup.
Qatar, Australia, the United States, Japan and South Korea are the contenders for the 2022 World Cup.
The decision on the host of both tournaments will be announced by world governing body FIFA on December 2 after a secret ballot in Zurich.
The process has already been dogged by controversy after the Sunday Times alleged that two FIFA members had offered to sell their votes in the 2018 contest.
FIFA acted by suspending the members for 30 days pending an investigation.
