England have reportedly fallen victim to a brazen World Cup theft ahead of their opening clash against Croatia next week, with players’ boots and vital training equipment said to have been ‘stolen in transit. ‘ The Three Lions relocated their training base from West Palm Beach in Florida to Swope Soccer Village in Missouri, when the alleged raid is understood to have occurred.

The Daily Mail reports that official tournament footballs and essential training kit have gone missing, leaving backroom staff in a frantic search for replacements. England will be calling Swope Soccer Village home for the next three weeks as they bid to progress beyond the group stage.

Express Sport understands two arrests have been made and a police investigation is ongoing. The FA have been approached for comment.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were due to train in Kansas City for the first time on Saturday, June 13, though an investigation is now under way to establish exactly what has been taken. According to the report, just a single football was left behind following the theft, while unconfirmed claims suggest the boots of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and others have also been taken.

It represents a significant setback for England’s tournament preparations, particularly given the encouraging pre-competition camp they had enjoyed in Miami.

An inquiry is ongoing to establish precisely what equipment remains, with the FA said to be working alongside local police in a bid to recover the stolen items.

The report suggests that England staff carefully packed vital equipment ahead of the move to Missouri, including analysis gear, Tuchel’s whiteboards and massage tables, only to be left stunned when the items failed to arrive in Kansas City.

Staff are now frantically working to source replacement equipment before Tuchel’s squad takes to the training pitch later today.

Tuchel had been buoyed by England’s preparations in Miami, having secured victories over Costa Rica 3-0 and 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.

“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.

“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.”

Premier League referee Michael Oliver has withdrawn from his opening match at the World Cup following an injury setback. The Geordie official had been appointed to take charge of the clash between Ecuador and the Ivory Coast in Philadelphia in the early hours of Monday morning.

However, a FIFA statement has confirmed that Oliver has been replaced for the Group E encounter. Frenchman Francois Letexier will instead take charge of the match.

A FIFA statement read: “Appointment change: Due to a minor injury, referee Michael Oliver (ENG) has been replaced by Francois Letexier (FRA). Oliver is expected to be available for selection again in the coming days.”

His withdrawal also means UK officials Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, who were set to run the line, will likewise miss out in Philadelphia. FIFA have confirmed that Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni have been drafted in alongside the vastly experienced Letexier.

Khalid Alturais and Mohammed Alabakrv of Saudi Arabia will remain as the fourth official and reserve assistant.

Oliver, who has officiated at the highest level in the Champions League, the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, spoke two years ago about the thrill of taking charge at major tournaments. Ahead of the Euros, he said: “The eyes of the world are on this tournament.”

“You get a sense when you arrive at the stadium that the atmosphere is different. The pressure, the competition, and the quality of matches are all higher.

“You’re aware of that pressure, but you just try to prepare the best you can and make sure you’re ready for it. There’s a perception that we turn up five minutes before kick-off, leave straight after, and don’t think about football for a week.

“But we put so much training and work into it, to be the best, to limit mistakes. Nobody needs to tell me after a game how well I’ve done – or not. I know that more than anybody.”

Oliver has been an international referee since 2012, and has been part of UEFA’s Elite Group since 2018. The experienced official is expected to return for the next round of group matches.

On Thursday morning, Mboko announced that she also had to withdraw from the doubles, bringing Williams’ comeback to a premature end. The Canadian teenager has now already pulled out of Wimbledon, with the tournament still a couple of weeks away.

And Mboko has now issued an emotional statement, confirming her injury diagnoses and apologising to Williams for how their doubles stint panned out. “Hi everyone – I wanted to provide a quick update given everything that has happened in the past 36 hours,” the reigning Canadian Open champion wrote on Friday.

“Unfortunately, my fall on Wednesday caused an injury to the MCL on my left knee, which sadly means I will miss the remainder of the grass season. This unfortunately means Wimbledon too, a tournament I had been so looking forward to playing this year.

“I am receiving the best medical care and my team and I are focused on a return to court as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and sent messages of support, I am so grateful to you all!

“Lastly, thank you @serenawilliams for giving me this incredible opportunity to play alongside you. I learnt so much from you and am so sorry our tournament came to an end prematurely, but I hope we can play together again soon and finish what we started.”

Williams has already publicly reached out to Mboko, thanking her for being a part of her comeback. “What a fun and memorable week at @hsbcchampionships. Thank you to everyone who made it so special. Wishing you a speedy recovery, @vickymboko. Can’t wait to see you back on court,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion wrote after their withdrawal was confirmed.

The former world No. 1 will now head to the WTA 500 event in Berlin, where she has been given a wildcard into the doubles draw. Williams’ partner has not officially been confirmed, but she is expected to team up with world No. 10 Karolina Muchova.

It remains to be seen whether Williams returns to Wimbledon later this month, in singles or doubles. The wildcard committee will soon meet to discuss wildcards, with the initial recipients to be confirmed on June 16. Earlier this week, All England Club chair Deborah Jevans said: “I’m sure it won’t ignore her success at Wimbledon when making that decision.”

Meanwhile, Mboko is now in a race against time to be ready for her Canadian Open title defence. She won the WTA 1000 title as a wildcard ranked outside the top 80. The tournament begins on August 2.