England’s training equipment, including match boots and official tournament balls, has been stolen ahead of the team’s arrival at their World Cup training base in Kansas City, with two people taken into custody as police investigate.
The theft occurred on Friday as team staff transported the equipment from England’s pre-tournament base in Florida to the Swope Soccer Village in Missouri, where the players are due to arrive on Saturday. The vehicles carrying the kit were broken into while the players travelled separately. Local police confirmed the incident in a statement: “We are investigating a possible theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with items missing this evening. The investigation is ongoing. Two subjects of interest were taken into custody pending further investigation.”
England are due to have their first full day of training in Kansas City on Sunday as they prepare for their opening World Cup match against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday. Missouri has proved a popular base for several World Cup teams, with holders Argentina, the Netherlands and Algeria also staying in the Kansas City area for the duration of the tournament.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad have played two warm-up friendlies in the United States so far, against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida, as part of their acclimatisation to American conditions. Tuchel fielded a strong side against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice all featuring in a 3-0 win that was delayed by an hour due to heavy rain. The squad also played a behind-closed-doors friendly against local side Miami United FC on Thursday, winning 6-0, with Ivan Toney scoring a hat-trick and Jordan Henderson, Rio Ngumoha and Ethan Nwaneri also on the scoresheet. Neither Ngumoha nor Nwaneri made England’s final 26-man squad and were due to fly home before the rest of the team travelled on to Kansas City.
