England’s World Cup squad was confined to its hotel on its first evening in Kansas City after a “deadly” tornado warning prompted emergency alerts, forcing players to take shelter just hours after arriving at their tournament base.
The drama came as Jackson County prosecutors charged two Texas men with one felony count each of receiving stolen property after the theft of about $18,000 worth of England gear. The items—stolen during the team’s relocation from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to Kansas City—included signed jerseys, clothing, football boots and two stuffed lions, reflecting the Three Lions name. The two men were being held at the Jackson County Detention Center on $75,000 bond.
“England squad shelter from tornado and gear stolen as Scotland win first World Cup match since 1990.”
“Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have travelled here to compete,” the Jackson County prosecutor, Melesa Johnson, said, thanking police and on-call attorneys for their quick work.
Meanwhile, Scotland ended a 28-year World Cup absence with a 1-0 victory over Haiti in Massachusetts—their first win at the tournament since Italia ’90. But the match started two and a half minutes late, part of a trend that has seen none of the first eight games kick off on time, with an average delay of three minutes. The opening game between Mexico and South Africa was the worst offender, starting six minutes late.
Fifa’s expanded pre-match ceremonies may be partly to blame. The entire squad now gathers in the centre circle for the anthems, with enormous flags displayed in each half. World football’s governing body says the ceremony provides a “moment of unity, pride and emotion”, but the added complexity has caused delays. Haiti’s players were not ready when it was time to enter the pitch, and the match feed showed them being hurried along by a Fifa official.
With Germany set to face tournament debutants Curacao in Houston on Sunday, and Sweden meeting Tunisia in Monterrey in the early hours of Monday morning (3am BST, ITV), the tournament continues to unfold against a backdrop of disruption—both meteorological and logistical.