Pictured: The two ‘Afghan thieves’ charged with stealing £13,000 worth of England’s World Cup kit and facing seven years in prison – as full list of stolen goods is revealed
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These are two men accused of stealing boots and equipment worth $18,000 (£13,467) from the UK and face up to seven years in prison.
It is stated that Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal, who are thought to be originally from Afghanistan, are accused of receiving stolen goods and can be sentenced to a maximum of 7 years in prison if they are found guilty.
The daring heist took place as the cargo was traveling from West Palm Beach, Florida, to England’s Swope Soccer Village base in Missouri, Daily Mail Sport revealed on Friday.
Sources say that among the items taken were boots belonging to Jordan Pickford. The players’ table tennis table was also destroyed during the robbery.
Jackson County prosecutors compiled a list of the allegedly stolen items, many of which have since been recovered. The loot included four pairs of football boots, goalkeeper gloves, three signed England jerseys, 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 jersey
England star John Stones, Declan Rice, Harry Kane and Dan Burn photographed in training
On Friday afternoon, 24 hours before UK were due to train for the first time in Kansas City, logistics staff realized they had been the victim of a robbery. They expected to find all their possessions lined up at the Swope Football Village, then later inside the training facility.
However, it quickly became clear that most of the cargo in one minibus was missing. It is said that a lion and a World Cup ball were left by the roadside.
The full list of stolen items seized by prosecutors was as follows:
- 4 pairs of football boots worth £250 each
- 5 pairs of shoes worth £170 each
- 1 red jersey worth $5,000 signed by the National Team
- 2 white jerseys signed by the National Team, each worth $5,000
- 1 World Cup football worth £160
- 1 pair of goalkeeper gloves worth £120
- 4 dark blue shorts, no value
- 4 dark blue shirts, no value
- 4 light blue long sleeve shirts, no value
- 4 light blue short sleeve shirts, no value
- 2 lion plush animals, no value
- $40 worth of multifunction power strips
- 1 JBL speaker valued at $149.95
- Lego set with 1 Nike Air shoe worth $99.99
Frantic calls were made to the police as well as senior FA personnel, and about a half-dozen Kansas City Police Department cars arrived on the scene.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said: ‘I am grateful to the Kansas City Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office for their prompt work in resolving a multi-state investigation, helping victims of crime recover stolen property in transit, and ensuring that the defendant faced prosecution.
‘Kansas City’s public safety leadership will continue to ensure everyone is safe and offenders will be quickly held accountable for any misconduct.’
Daily Mail Sport understands players’ boots and training equipment were stolen in transit
Jackson County prosecutor Melesa Johnson said: ‘Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity targeting World Cup visitors, including international teams traveling here to compete.
‘We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their swift work in investigating this incident and promptly filing charges. Our office is committed to holding these individuals accountable.’
Meanwhile, UK’s players were told to stay indoors after a tornado warning appeared on their cellphones while they were watching the NBA Finals game between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at the team hotel on Saturday night.
Speaking about the theft on Saturday afternoon, Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was asked if he had lost any of the jerseys and he told the Daily Mail: ‘I think I have. 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 and added: ‘Leo the lion has been rescued, he goes everywhere with us.’
While Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas shared on
‘Kansas City’s public safety leadership will continue to ensure everyone is safe and offenders will be quickly held accountable for any misconduct.’
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