Two men have been charged after thieves made off with $18,000 (£13,500) worth of England World Cup property, including signed jerseys valued at $5,000 each, from a vehicle travelling between the team’s pre-tournament base in Florida and Kansas City.
Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal each face one count of receiving stolen property, a class D felony under Missouri law carrying a potential prison sentence of one to seven years upon conviction. The charges were filed by Jackson County’s prosecution office after the theft from a van ferrying equipment to England’s camp ahead of their World Cup opener against Croatia.
“Two men charged after thieves stole $18,000 of England World Cup kit, including signed jerseys, from a team van.”
Among the items listed in court documents seen by BBC Sport were four pairs of football boots worth $1,340.60, five pairs of shoes valued at $1,139.50, and a pair of goalkeeper gloves priced at $160.87. Two white signed jerseys – each valued at $5,000 – were also taken, along with a football, training kit, four pairs of navy shorts, four light blue long-sleeve shirts, and four light blue short-sleeve shirts. The haul even included a Lego set of a Nike Air shoe, worth $99.99, and multifunctional power strips priced at $40.
Despite the loss, the Football Association stressed that nothing essential to England’s preparations had gone missing. “I’ve not lost anything personally, we found out from you guys,” said defender Dan Burn. “It’s with the police now … It’s not really disrupted our preparations.”
Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson vowed action: “Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have travelled here to compete. We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately. Our office is committed to holding these individuals accountable.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas added: “I am grateful for the quick work of the Kansas City Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office in resolving an investigation across several states, helping crime victims recover goods stolen in transit, and ensuring the accused will face prosecution.”
The majority of the stolen property has since been recovered, though the incident cast a brief shadow over England’s build-up to Wednesday’s tournament kick-off.