Sorokin: Russia 2018 World Cup bid was clean

The head of the organising committee for the Russia 2018 World Cup has insisted that the bid was clean, transparent and "done in accordance with all the practices that are in place in Fifa".

Alexei Sorokin told the BBC's Hardtalk programme that countries such as England, which lost to Russia in the contest to host the tournament, should "learn how to lose with dignity".

Last week, several Fifa officials were arrested in Switzerland at the request of the US authorities, and a total of 14 people were indicted for corruption. There was no link to the forthcoming World Cup tournaments.

Swiss authorities also launched their own criminal inquiry into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.