Two men, Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, both of San Antonio, Texas, face one felony count each of receiving stolen property after authorities filed charges late Saturday (June 13, 2026). The arrests followed England’s discovery that thieves had stolen some of the national team’s equipment as The Three Lions transported their gear from their pre-training base in Florida to their World Cup base camp in Kansas City.
Prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, charged both men with the class D felony, which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison, and set bond at $75,000 for each.
“Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have travelled here to compete,” said Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson. “We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work in filing charges immediately.”
The stolen property, valued at about $18,000, did not include anything essential to England’s preparations.
A probable cause statement obtained by The Associated Press revealed that Salik and Kamal had nine pairs of cleats, goalkeeper gloves, a World Cup soccer ball, several sets of shirts and shorts, electronics, stuffed animals, several signed national team jerseys and a Lego set of Nike Air shoes valued at $99.99 in their possession.
“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, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement late Saturday (June 13, 2026).
“Kansas City’s public safety leadership will continue to ensure all are safe and offenders will be held accountable swiftly.” The theft took place before England’s charter jet landed in Kansas City around noon on Saturday (June 13, 2026).
The drum corps, cheerleaders and mascot of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs first greeted the team at its upscale boutique hotel in Prairie Village, Kansas. The Three Lions then headed to an open training session at Swope Soccer Village, where MLS club Sporting Kansas City once trained and where its second-division team and academy programs are still based.
The England flag flew above the complex, and a large sign declared it “The Home of England,” while hundreds of fans and reporters greeted the team on a hot, humid afternoon for the community training session.
The practice ended about two hours before tornado sirens sounded across the metro and a heavy storm rolled through town.
Although England does not play group games in Kansas City, the team chose the city as its base due to its central location. Its opening game against Croatia on Wednesday in Dallas is only about a 90-minute flight away, matches against Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey are about three hours away, and the West Coast is easily reachable for potential knockout games.
Defending champion Argentina and the Netherlands have also based themselves in Kansas City, while Algeria is in neighbouring Lawrence, Kansas.
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