England World Cup squad suffer from thefts, report

After a paining 4-1 defeat by Germany on Sunday, England's nightmare in South Africa was combined hotel cleaners' thefts, AP reported on Monday.

Local spokeswoman Junior Metsi said cleaning staff at the hotel, where England squad stayed, stole football shirts, a medal and even underwear from players.

According to Metsi, around 500 pounds (about 750 US dollars) was taken by the thieves. The thieves appeared interested in souvenirs as a United States jersey, traded after England's 1-1 draw with U.S., and a medal awarded by FIFA were among the thievery.

The police believed the thefts began June 21, but were not reported until Saturday. It took merely one day for the police to solve the case.

"Everything that was stolen was recovered and they (the thieves) are now behind bars," Metsi said.

On Sunday, a special World Cup court convicted five hotel workers of the thefts. They were sentenced to three years in prison and fined 6,000 rand (about 800 US dollars).

Source: Xinhua