While England’s security team have been working hard to make sure that their football tactics are kept firmly under wraps, it seems they couldn’t go so far as to prevent pranksters from getting Harry Kane and Co to unwittingly pen their names on copies of the American Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad, who travelled from their pre-camp training base in Florida to Kansas City at the weekend, were attending to their customary post-training duties on Sunday, greeting fans, pausing for photographs and signing shirts and other memorabilia.
While making their way through the swathes of autograph hunters, many of the players did not pause as the pranksters thrust a copy of the Declaration of Independence – the founding document of the United States, which asserted its sovereignty from Great Britain in 1776 – in front of them to sign.
Recording from England’s training base in Kansas City, the prankster said: ‘We’re going to see England and our goal today is to get as many of the players as possible to sign these copies of the Declaration of Independence.
‘I think it’s going to go pretty well. I think they’ll just be signing. For sure Harry Kane – that’s the big tuna that we’re looking for. The big guy. Any others are fine but we want Harry Kane to sign it.’
Among the players to sign the ‘document’ were Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Elliot Anderson, Tino Livramento, Jordan Henderson and, indeed, Kane.
Harry Kane unwittingly penned his name on a copy of the American Declaration of Independence after a training session in Kansas City on the weekend
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States, which asserted its sovereignty from Great Britain in 1776
It appears to have gone down well with the social media jury, gaining nearly 24,000 likes in a day. Among the most well-received comments was someone writing: ‘This is the greatest troll in the history of trolling.’
Another wrote: ‘Does this mean they have to play for Team USA now?’
And a third wrote: ‘You’d get 100 per cent of the Scottish team’.
England have moved from Florida to the Missouri city, where they will remain for the remainder of their tournament, but it has been an eventful few days after the theft of some of their kit in transit, including boots and footballs worth $18,000 (£13,467).
Jackson County prosecutors have listed the items allegedly stolen, most of which have since been recovered, while two men, Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, face up to seven years in prison.
The loot included four pairs of football boots, goalkeeper gloves, three signed England shirts, eight training kits, two stuffed lion mascots, a Lego set of a Nike Air shoe, five pairs of trainers, a World Cup football and a JBL speaker.
Security has also been ramped up at the Swope Soccer Village, with extra screens and signs threatening criminal action against anyone found snooping, motivated in part by the Southampton spygate scandal.
A number of additional black screens have been erected around the nine-pitch training facility, which is overlooked on one side by a section of freeway, while there is a no-fly zone in place.
The venue, which has hosted Manchester United and Newcastle’s pre-season tours in the past, has also seen a series of signs go up, with a stark warning for anyone thinking of trespassing.
‘Private property,’ the signs read. ‘No trespassing, no unauthorised access. No recording, photography or drones. Breaches may constitute criminal and civil offences.’
Among the players to sign the ‘document’ included Bukayo Saka (above), Anthony Gordon, Elliot Anderson, Tino Livramento and Jordan Henderson
England star Jude Bellingham pictured chatting to Thomas Tuchel in training
Pranks and heists aside, all else seems to be well as England settle into their new normal in Missouri. They are staying at the four-star, 54-room Inn at Meadowbrook hotel, which is around a 25-minute drive from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium – although they are not yet set to play a game there, despite it being a FIFA venue for six fixtures this tournament.
Famed for its barbecue food, exclusive golf courses dotted around the city and, of course, as the home of Taylor Swift’s fiancé Travis Kelce’s Chiefs side, England have chosen this location to minimise the travel strain from their Group L games.
It is midway between Dallas, where they will open their tournament against Croatia on Wednesday, and Boston and New Jersey, where they will face Ghana and then Panama to complete their group-stage fixtures.
‘The British are coming,’ declared Quinton Lucas, the Mayor of Kansas City, when FIFA revealed that Tuchel’s squad were heading to Missouri.
‘So you have this amazing mix of a city with interest, facilities that match it, and a very good location in the middle of North America,’ he added.
‘Then of course, having the opportunity for a city to truly, truly prove that it wants it more than anyone else. What we heard on every tour when people were here was, “wow, we were blown away by the fact that with Kansas City, we truly take things over for a while”.’
Consider yourself a World Cup expert? Challenge yourself with our exclusive quiz for free by signing up to our World Cup newsletter. Get it HERE.
