England’s national football team secured a replacement pool table at short notice after the originally ordered table failed to arrive at their accommodation in Kansas City, Missouri. The team, staying at The Inn at Meadowbank ahead of their match against Croatia, discovered the equipment had not been delivered as planned despite being ordered in advance of their arrival.

An official from the Football Association (FA) quickly located a pool table for sale on Facebook, which was promptly purchased for the squad, including captain Harry Kane. This acquisition came within hours of the team’s arrival at the hotel, where rooms cost approximately £260 per night.

The table was being sold by Lynne Brown, a local resident near the England team’s training base, who listed it as part of a house clearance. Ms. Brown expressed surprise at being contacted by the FA and noted that the team was urgently seeking a pool table. She said the table was in excellent condition and expressed a sense of connection to the England squad, joking that if the team wins the World Cup, the victory could be attributed in part to the new table.

The need to replace the pool table followed reports that some of the Three Lions’ equipment had been stolen while in transit from Florida to Kansas City. Two men, Erfan Kamal, 35, and Mustafa Salik, 40, have been charged with receiving stolen property in relation to the incident. Both are currently in custody and face up to seven years in prison if convicted. Authorities have indicated that at an upcoming bail hearing, prosecutors will request restrictions preventing the men from approaching within 350 yards of the England team’s hotel and training facilities.

The team went on to secure a 4-2 victory over Croatia, marking a positive start on the field as well as off it with the swift resolution of their equipment predicament.