Two men charged after $18,000 theft from England World Cup equipment convoy
Two men face receiving stolen property charges after police recovered $18,000 worth of football boots, signed shirts, and a Lego set taken from a vehicle transporting England’s equipment to their Kansas City World Cup base.
Equipment goes missing
England’s convoy of gear was hit by theft while traveling from a warm-weather camp in West Palm Beach, Florida, to the team’s base at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri. The items were discovered missing upon arrival on Friday night. A Lego set of a Nike Air shoe, two stuffed lions, four pairs of football boots, a match ball, goalkeeper gloves and training kit were taken, along with three signed jerseys worth $15,000. The total value was estimated at $18,000 (£13,500). Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas said local, state and federal officials were investigating what he called a "heist in transit of English national team equipment."
Two men charged
Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson charged Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, the two men who were driving the equipment vehicle, with receiving stolen property. Each faces a maximum of seven years in prison if convicted. A detective recovered most of the stolen items. The two were detained and the charges were filed over the weekend.
Reaction from the England camp
The Football Association stressed that nothing taken would affect preparations for the World Cup. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson confirmed his boots and gloves made it to Kansas City.
Defender Dan Burn heard about the incident through media reports and joked he "wouldn't be able to move very much" without his boots. Burn added:Yeah, thankfully. I think they got stolen but we got them back so it's all good.
We've not made a big deal out of it. I've got everything I need, so I'm quite happy. To be honest, it's not really been spoken about, so I think that shows for us that they're not too worried about it as well.
Tournament schedule
England begin their Group L campaign on Wednesday against Croatia at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Subsequent matches follow on 23 June against Ghana in Boston and 27 June versus Panama at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
- Equipment reported missing after arrival at Kansas City base
- Two men charged with receiving stolen property
- England vs Croatia, World Cup Group L opener in Dallas
