Two people have been charged after England's World Cup equipment was stolen during the team's transport from Florida to Kansas City on Friday night. Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced that suspects Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal were charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property. The stolen gear had an estimated value of $18,000. Both men are being held on $75,000 bond.
The theft occurred somewhere along the route as England's vehicles traveled from their pre-training base in Florida to Kansas City, where the Three Lions established their permanent World Cup base camp. Police recovered the stolen equipment, which included footwear and soccer balls. The BBC reported that the theft did not include anything "game-critical" to the team's performance.
England goalkeeper Dean Henderson addressed the incident when asked by reporters after the team arrived Saturday. "I believe all the boots came back, we got everything back, so nobody's bothered," he told reporters.
Sgt. Phil DiMartino of the Kansas City Police Department confirmed the two detentions. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said that "public safety officials at the local, state and federal levels are working to trace where in the United States the items were seized and all the individuals who may have been involved."
England chose Kansas City as its base despite not playing any group matches there. The city's central location offers strategic advantages: the team's opening match against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, is only about a 90-minute flight away, matches against Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey are no more than three hours away, and the West Coast is easily reachable for potential knockout games. Defending champion Argentina and the Netherlands also based themselves in Kansas City, while Algeria set up in neighboring Lawrence, Kansas.
The team is training at Swope Soccer Village and staying at a boutique hotel in Prairie Village, Kansas. England was scheduled to conduct its first open training session Saturday, with the team's first World Cup match against Croatia set for Wednesday.
Two people have been charged after England's World Cup equipment was stolen during the team's transport from Florida to Kansas City on Friday night. Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced that suspects Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal face one felony count each of receiving stolen property. The stolen gear had an estimated value of $18,000, and both men are being held on $75,000 bond.
The theft occurred somewhere along the route as England's vehicles traveled from their pre-training base in Florida to Kansas City, where the Three Lions established their permanent World Cup base camp. Police recovered most of the stolen equipment, which included footwear and soccer balls. The BBC reported that the theft did not include anything "game-critical" to the team's performance.
England goalkeeper Dean Henderson downplayed the incident after the team arrived Saturday. "I believe all the boots came back, we got everything back, so nobody's bothered," he told reporters.
Sgt. Phil DiMartino of the Kansas City Police Department confirmed the two detentions. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said that "public safety officials at the local, state and federal levels are working to trace where in the United States the items were seized and all the individuals who may have been involved."
Jackson County Prosecutor Johnson issued a statement emphasizing zero tolerance for crimes targeting World Cup visitors. "We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately," she said.
England chose Kansas City as its base despite not playing any group matches there. The city's central location offers strategic advantages: the team's opening match against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, is only about a 90-minute flight away, matches against Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey are no more than three hours away, and the West Coast is easily reachable for potential knockout games. Defending champion Argentina and the Netherlands also based themselves in Kansas City, while Algeria set up in neighboring Lawrence, Kansas.
The team is training at Swope Soccer Village and staying at a boutique hotel in Prairie Village, Kansas. England was scheduled to conduct its first open training session Saturday, with the team's first World Cup match against Croatia set for Wednesday.
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