KANSAS CITY: England’s preparations for the World Cup were disrupted by an equipment theft before the team arrived at their Kansas City training base on Saturday.
Balls and boots are believed to be among the items stolen after vehicles transporting equipment to the team’s base at Swope Soccer Village were broken into, according to the BBC.
The equipment had to be in place before the team began practicing after arriving in Kansas City on Saturday.
The Football Association has confirmed in the United Kingdom Press association that an incident had occurred, but could not provide further information as it was now a police matter.
The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department told the Daily Mail: “We are investigating a possible theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with missing items this evening. The investigation is ongoing.”
The BBC reported that two arrests had been made in connection with the episode.
Thomas Tuchel’s England are due to train for the first time at Swope Soccer Village at 5:00 p.m. (22:00 GMT) on Saturday after relocating from their pre-tournament base in Florida.
They open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, before further Group L matches against Ghana and Panama.
The flight could affect England’s preparation for their opening World Cup match against Croatia in Dallas.
