England football team were victims of a robbery incident after their training equipment were reportedly stolen before their arrival in Kansas City on Saturday.
The Football Association is trying to ascertain what was stolen, with balls and boots among the items feared to have been taken, after vehicles transferring equipment to their Swope Soccer Village base in Kansas City were broken into.
Thomas Tuchel and his squad will arrive in Kansas City on Saturday afternoon and the equipment was due to be in place beforehand.
Equipment geared to be stolen include Players’ match boots, official tournament balls and key training items.
Boots belonging to stars like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are feared to be among the stolen items.
The kit was being transported from England’s pre-camp in West Palm Beach to their World Cup base in Missouri
Training gear, analysis equipment, whiteboards and massage tables were also part of the shipment
England staff are now racing to recover or replace the missing equipment before their World Cup opener vs Croatia
Kansas City Police confirmed they are investigating a possible theft, with reports claiming an arrest has already been made
Police officers, who are in touch with the FA, were on site on Friday night dealing with the matter.
It is understood two arrests have been made in connection with the episode.
A spokesman for Kansas Police said: “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.”
The theft could potentially disrupt some of Tuchel’s preparations for their World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday by 9pm.
The England players will undertake their first full training day on Sunday.
