The English Football Association has confirmed that a police investigation is underway into missing national team equipment shortly before the team arrived at the training base in Kansas City, BTA reports. Thomas Tuchel's team arrived in the city on Saturday afternoon after conducting the final part of their preparation for the World Cup in Florida. Upon arrival in Missouri, the English were unpleasantly surprised by the absence of some of the equipment, including football boots and training balls, which were found to be stolen before the team's first training session at the Swope Soccer Village complex.
The Football Association confirmed to the Press Association that there had been an incident, but declined to provide further details due to the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Police Department told the Daily Mail: “We are investigating an alleged theft of equipment from a team vehicle that arrived in Kansas City with items missing this evening. The investigation is ongoing.“
Despite the unpleasant situation, England are continuing their preparations as planned. The team will hold their first training session at Swope Soccer Village on Saturday, and will play their World Cup debut against Croatia on Wednesday. Thomas Tuchel's men then face Ghana and Panama in their remaining Group L matches.