England’s World Cup preparations were briefly disrupted after equipment worth around $18,000 (£13,500) was stolen from a vehicle transporting supplies between the team’s training base in Florida and Kansas City.
Authorities in Missouri have charged two men, Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, in connection with the incident. Both face one count of receiving stolen property, a class D felony that carries a potential prison sentence of between one and seven years if convicted.
The Football Association stressed that none of the stolen items were essential to the team’s preparations for their World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday, and the squad’s plans remained unaffected. It is understood that most of the missing property has since been recovered.
Court documents revealed that the stolen goods included four pairs of football boots valued at more than $1,300, five pairs of shoes worth over $1,100, a World Cup match ball, goalkeeper gloves, training clothing and several personal items.
Among the most valuable items were three signed England jerseys. One signed red shirt was valued at $5,000, while two signed white shirts were each valued at the same amount, accounting for the majority of the total losses.
Other items reported missing included multifunctional power strips, a portable JBL speaker, a Lego Nike Air shoe set and two stuffed lion toys.
England defender Dan Burn said none of his belongings had been taken and suggested the situation had caused little concern within the camp.
“We found out through the media,” Burn said. “It’s with the police now, so there’s not much I can really say. It hasn’t really been discussed, which shows the squad aren’t too worried about it. It hasn’t disrupted our preparations.”
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson praised investigators for their rapid response and stressed that criminal activity targeting World Cup visitors would not be tolerated.
She said local authorities were committed to ensuring those responsible faced justice and thanked police officers and prosecutors involved in the case.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also welcomed the swift investigation, highlighting the cooperation between agencies across multiple states that helped recover the stolen items and identify suspects.
Lucas said city officials would continue working to protect visitors, teams and supporters throughout the World Cup while ensuring offenders are held accountable.