England have reportedly been targeted by a daring World Cup heist ahead of their opener against Croatia next week, with players’ boots and key training equipment ‘stolen in transit.’ The Three Lions have moved their training camp from West Palm Beach in Florida to England’s Swope Soccer Village base in Missouri, where the theft allegedly took place.
The Daily Mail claims official tournament footballs and key training equipment have been stolen, leaving staff scrambling to find replacements. England will call the Swope Soccer Village home for the next three weeks as they look to advance from the group stage.
Thomas Tuchel’s men are set to train in Kansas City for the first time later today, Saturday, June 13, but an investigation is underway to determine what has been stolen.
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The report claims only one football was left behind in the heist, while there are unconfirmed reports that Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and others’ boots have been stolen.
It’s a major blow for England in their preparations for the tournament, having enjoyed a good pre-tournament camp in Miami.
An inquest is underway to determine what equipment they have left, and the report claims the FA is working with local police to recover the stolen goods. Mirror Sport understands two arrests have been made and has contacted the FA for comment.
The report claims England staff packed the important equipment ahead of the relocation to Missouri, including analysis equipment, Tuchel’s whiteboards, and massage tables, and were shocked when they did not arrive in Kansas City.
Staff are now in a race against time to replace the equipment before Tuchel’s squad takes to the training pitch later today.
View 2 ImagesThomas Tuchel is aiming to end England’s wait for a World Cup crown(Image: Getty Images)
Tuchel had been pleased with England’s preparations in Miami having beaten Costa Rica 3-0, and then Miami FC 6-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
“We get some minutes into the legs – game minutes, not training minutes – for the three players who didn’t play, for the guys who came for just 22 minutes plus extra time,” the England boss said.
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“We can manage that. We can manage the game time. It will very likely be not more than two x 30 minutes or something like this.
“Then the players get one and a half days off, not only physically but also mentally to switch off. Well deserved.
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“Then we start the next chunk of the tournament, which is the group stage, and we change location, which I’m looking forward to – not because we didn’t like it here (in Florida), it was excellent here and at the highest level.
“But it is nice to change scenery and give it a new frame for the next period of the tournament, which is then full focus on the group stage.”
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