KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two men have been charged with one felony count each of receiving stolen property late Saturday after England‘s national team discovered that some of their equipment had been stolen while The Three Lions were moving from their pre-training base in Florida to their World Cup base camp in Kansas City.
Prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, charged Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, both of San Antonio, Texas, with the class D felony, which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison. Bond was set at $75,000 for each of them.
“Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have traveled here to compete,” Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson said. “We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work in filing charges immediately.”
None of the stolen property, which was estimated at about $18,000 in value, was essential to England’s preparations.
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According to a probable cause statement obtained by The Associated Press, items found in Salik and Kamal’s possession included nine pairs of cleats, goalkeeper gloves, a World Cup soccer ball, several sets of shirts and shorts, electronics, stuffed animals, several signed national team jerseys and a Lego set of Nike Air shoes valued at $99.99.
“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,” said Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement late Saturday.
“Kansas City’s public safety leadership will continue to ensure all are safe and offenders will be held accountable swiftly.”
England’s player have played down the impact the stolen gear would have on their preparations for the World Cup.
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England backup goalkeeper Dean Henderson said with a smile when asked if his boots and gloves made it to Kansas City: “Yeah, thankfully. I think they got stolen but we got them back so it’s all good.”
Experienced defender Dan Burn found out about the incident through the media reports, joking he “wouldn’t be able to move very much” if his boots had not turned up.
“We’ve not made a big deal out of it,” he said. “I’ve got everything I need, so I’m quite happy.
“We know that stuff has been left to the police and as a group we’ve not really spoken about that at all.”
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The theft occurred before England’s charter jet arrived in Kansas City at around noon on Saturday.
The team was greeted first at its upscale boutique hotel in Prairie Village, Kansas, by the drum corps, cheerleaders and mascot of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. Then, The Three Lions headed to an open training session at Swope Soccer Village, where MLS club Sporting Kansas City once trained, and where its second-division team and academy programs are still based.
The England flag was flying above the complex, and a large sign stated that it was “The Home of England,” while hundreds of fans and reporters greeted greeted the team on a hot, humid afternoon for the community training session.
The practice ended about two hours before tornado sirens sounded across the metro and a heavy storm rolled through town.
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Even though England does not play group games in Kansas City, it made its base there due to its central location. Its opening game against Croatia on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, is only about a 90-minute flight, matches against Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Panama in New Jersey are about three hours away, while the West Coast is easily reachable for potential knockout games.
Defending champions Argentina and the Netherlands also are based in Kansas City. Algeria are in neighboring Lawrence, Kansas.
The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report.
