KANSAS CITY: Two men have been charged in connection with the theft of England football team training equipment worth around $18,000 ahead of the squad’s arrival at their World Cup training base, US authorities said on Saturday.
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson’s office said Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal each face one count of receiving stolen property under Missouri law. If convicted, the offence carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison.
The alleged theft involved equipment taken from vehicles transporting England’s kit from a training camp in Florida to Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, where the team is preparing for their World Cup campaign.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas earlier described the incident as a “heist” and said investigations were underway at local, state and federal levels. Authorities later confirmed that most of the stolen items had been recovered.
England goalkeeper Dean Henderson said the issue had been resolved and that he had regained his boots following the incident.
“I think I did, but I got them back, so it’s all good,” Henderson said after training. Defender Dan Burn also said the squad had received all of their kit and remained largely unaffected by the incident.
Thomas Tuchel’s England squad continued preparations at Swope Soccer Village ahead of their Group L fixtures against Croatia, Ghana and Panama.