England’s preparations for the World Cup have faced a number of unexpected setbacks. A severe tropical thunderstorm in Florida delayed their final warm-up match against Costa Rica by an hour, while the team later arrived in Kansas City to discover that their kit and equipment had been stolen.
Two men have now been charged in connection with the incident involving the stolen England equipment.
Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal have each been charged with one count of receiving stolen property, classified as a Class D felony under Missouri law.
The stolen items were reportedly valued at approximately $18,000 (£13,000).
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson stated: “Jackson County will not tolerate criminal acts targeting 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 swift response in investigating the incident and filing charges immediately. Our office remains committed to ensuring those responsible are held accountable.”
Reports later revealed that some of the recovered items included four pairs of football boots valued at £250 each, along with five pairs of shoes worth a combined $1,139.50.
England players told to take shelter
England’s preparations were further disrupted after players were instructed to take shelter indoors when a tornado warning was issued in Kansas City.
During the match between Scotland and Haiti, emergency alerts warned local residents of winds reaching up to 80mph, with concerns raised over dangerous flying debris.
A severe thunderstorm warning issued at around 8pm was upgraded to a Tornado Watch approximately 30 minutes later. The extreme weather conditions caused power outages across parts of the area, although reports indicated that the worst of the storm had passed by Saturday evening, allowing England to resume preparations on Sunday.
