Two men have been charged with receiving stolen property after England’s kit and equipment were taken from a vehicle en route from Florida to Kansas City, casting a shadow over the team’s World Cup preparations. Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal each face one count of a Class D felony under Missouri law, with prosecutor Melesa Johnson confirming the stolen property was valued at around $18,000 (£13,000). The Football Association said no elite performance equipment was missing and that the majority of the items had been recovered.
England arrived at their permanent base in Kansas City on Saturday, checking into the Inn at Meadowbrook Hotel in Prairie Village before making the 20-minute journey to Swope Soccer Village for their first training session. The team were escorted by a motorcade as locals welcomed Thomas Tuchel’s men, but there was no protection from the searing 31C heat. During the session, the ten outfield players who started against Costa Rica — Jude Bellingham, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Reece James — trained away from the rest of the squad, offering further clues that Tuchel may stick with the same side for Wednesday’s opener against Croatia. However, Bukayo Saka trained separately and did not appear to be moving freely, with Tuchel having already confirmed the Arsenal attacker needs careful management due to fitness concerns.
“Two men charged over $18,000 England kit theft as Scotland win first World Cup match in 36 years”
Meanwhile, Scotland kicked off their World Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Haiti in Boston — their first victory at a World Cup in 36 years. John McGinn scored the decisive goal, becoming Scotland’s oldest World Cup scorer at 31 years and 238 days, surpassing Sir Kenny Dalglish’s record set in 1982. McGinn said: “It wasn’t my best of goals, who cares. Look at this man, absolutely unbelievable. Haiti are a good team, they played New Zealand and Peru off the pitch, it was a must-win game and we won.”