These are the two men who have been charged with the theft of $18,000 (£13,467) worth of England boots and equipment and face up to seven years in prison.
Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, who are thought to be originally from Afghanistan, are accused of receiving stolen property and if convicted could be jailed for a maximum of seven years.
Daily Mail Sport revealed on Friday that the audacious heist had taken place while the load was en route from West Palm Beach in Florida to England’s Swope Soccer Village base in Missouri.
Sources say boots belonging to Jordan Pickford were among the items taken. The players’ table-tennis table was also smashed during the robbery.
Jackson County prosecutors have listed the items allegedly stolen, most of which have since been recovered. 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.
Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal are courier drivers accused of stealing England’s World Cup kit
England star John Stones, Declan Rice, Harry Kane and Dan Burn pictured in training
It was on Friday afternoon, 24 hours before England were due to train for the first time in Kansas City, that logistics staff realised they had been the victims of a robbery. They had expected to find all of their goods waiting at Swope Soccer Village to then be arranged inside the training facility.
However, it very quickly became apparent that most of the load from one van was missing. It is said that left at the roadside was one lion and one World Cup ball.
The full list given by prosecutors of stolen items recovered was:
- 4 pairs of cleats valued at £250 each
- 5 pairs of shoes valued at £170 each
- 1 red jersey signed by the National Team with a value of $5,000
- 2 white jerseys signed by the National Team with a value of $5,000 each
- 1 World Cup soccer ball valued at £160
- 1 pair of goalkeeper’s gloves valued at £120
- 4 navy shorts, no value
- 4 navy shirts, no value
- 4 light blue long sleeve shirts, no value
- 4 light blue short sleeve shirts, no value
- 2 lion stuffed animals, no value
- Multifunctional power strips valued at $40
- 1 JBL speaker valued at $149.95
- 1 Lego set of a Nike Air shoe valued at $99.99
Frantic calls were made to senior FA staff as well as police, and up to a half a dozen Kansas City Police Department cars arrived on the scene.
Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas said: ‘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.
‘Kansas City’s public safety leadership will continue to ensure all are safe and offenders will be held accountable swiftly for any misconduct.’
Players’ boots and training equipment was stolen in transit, Daily Mail Sport understands
Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson said: ‘Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets 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 quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately. Our office is committed to holding these individuals accountable.’
Meanwhile, England’s players were told to shelter indoors on Saturday night after tornado warnings pinged on their mobile phones as they watched the NBA Finals game between New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at the team hotel.
Speaking about the theft on Saturday afternoon, Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was asked if he had lost any kit and he told the Daily Mail: ‘I think I did. I think I did but I got them back, so it’s all good, we got everything back, so it’s all good.’
Henderson smiled as he added: ‘Leo the lion was saved, he comes everywhere with us.’
While Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas posted on X: ‘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.
‘Kansas City’s public safety leadership will continue to ensure all are safe and offenders will be held accountable swiftly for any misconduct.’
Which England star has 7 GCSEs? Who has lost half of his finger? Test your knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s squad with our exclusive quiz HERE.
