Cleaning staff at the luxury hotel where England stayed during the World Cup stole football shirts, a medal and even underwear from players, police said Monday.
Police spokeswoman Junior Metsi said very little cash was taken, about £500. The thieves instead seemed interested in souvenirs, such as a USA shirt an England player had received in the customary post-match trade.
A medal awarded by Fifa and underwear also disappeared in a spree that police say began on June 21.
The thefts were not reported to police until Saturday. Metsi said police solved the case within a day, searching the homes of hotel staff.
"Everything that was stolen was recovered and they (the thieves) are now behind bars," she 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.
Metsi would not name the players from whom items were stolen.
England are due to fly home this evening following their 4-1 loss to Germany, their worst defeat in a major tournament finals.
England's World Cup headquarters was a state-of-the-art sports complex and hotel built by the Bafokeng tribe of northern South Africa and completed shortly before the tournament began.
The Bafokeng also own the Rustenburg stadium where World Cup games were played.
Maybe auctioning in ebay now.
the main thing is, England has gone back home!
Gone home or not does not matter, the smell will linger on.
If Beckham still around, I wonder how much his undies will go for on ebay.
cb one leh they.
ppl kicked ball for the medal.
they go steal.
if underwear, still cn buy agn.
..england ..world cup...
Underwear fetish