England's World Cup players are staying in 'tornado alley' and will be trained on what to do should a twister strike. The team, which flies to the US on Monday for two friendly games in Florida, will arrive in Kansas on June 13 and will be based at the four-star Inn at Meadowbrook hotel in Prairie Village for the duration of the tournament.
Peak Tornado Season
Meteorologist Brad Temeyer told The Mail on Sunday that the team is arriving during peak tornado season: 'June coincides with the peak of severe weather season in the midwest. We've already seen severe weather with three tornados so far.'
Squad members will be told where their nearest tornado storm shelter is, likely in the £200-a-night hotel's basement. But if the twister comes on fast, they will be advised to stay in their room, away from any window and 'duck and cover' under a bed or table.
There are an average of 40 tornadoes a year in Kansas, the second worst-hit state after Texas, with most occurring in June.
Local Support and Visits
Locals have put 'Go England' signs around the hotel, which sits on a lake and is overlooked by a gated housing complex. Sources tell the MoS that Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, who is from Kansas City, is likely to visit the team during 'down days' between games.
England plays its first game against Croatia on June 17 in Dallas, a 90-minute plane ride from Kansas City. The team will attend a baseball game featuring the Kansas City Royals and will visit a nearby award-winning barbecue joint called Meat Mitch, where a staff member said: 'We smoke everything in-house. We're best known for our brisket and sauces, one of them is called Naked Sauce. We cannot wait to give the team a great welcome.'
FIFA Ticket Pricing Controversy
Meanwhile, the scandal over FIFA allegedly 'price gouging' tickets escalated today when a senior congresswoman told the MoS she is calling for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to appear before Congress to 'explain himself.'
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a California Democrat whose constituency covers Los Angeles, where some World Cup games are being played, called FIFA's ticketing prices a 'total shakedown' and said that its conduct felt like something out of the Godfather movies.
In March, Rep Kamlager-Dove wrote a letter to FIFA signed by 69 Representatives criticising FIFA's use of dynamic ticket pricing. She urged FIFA to take 'corrective action' but it has so far failed to do so.
Congresswoman Demands Action
Speaking exclusively to the MoS, Rep Kamlager-Dove said she supported the investigation by prosecutors in New York and New Jersey into FIFA. She hit out at the 'incredibly exorbitant' ticket prices and the 'lack of civility' towards the host cities.
She said: 'I'm glad the Attorney Generals are looking into this and they're taking this seriously because at the end of the day, this is about affordability and stopping the FIFA shakedown.'
Rep Kamlager-Dove said that in the run-up to the World Cup, FIFA had been acting like 'the sequel to the Godfather.' She said: 'It's a total shakedown. There's no transparency, there's been no conversation about why they're using dynamic pricing, why there's so much disparity between ticket prices.'
Rep Kamlager-Dove said that she '100 percent' supports a Congressional investigation into the World Cup with Mr Infantino giving evidence. 'He needs to show up and answer these questions,' she said. 'I'm just repeating the concerns of fans in my district.'
Rep Kamlager-Dove urged Donald Trump to intervene and do something about the high ticket prices. She said that he 'needs to recognise' that 'this should not be about Infantino, this should be about the fans.' However, Mr Trump and Mr Infantino have been close in recent months, with FIFA giving the President its first 'FIFA Peace Prize,' an award critics said was designed to curry favour with the White House. 'I'm not surprised those two have been tag teaming,' Rep Kamlager-Dove said.
