Bobby Moore's family seek answers from businessman who mysteriously declared he is not 'currently holding' missing 1966 World Cup winning shirt

By SAM GREENHILL, THE CHIEF REPORTER Published: 22:49, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 22:49, 10 July 2026 Bobby Moore’s family have urged a businessman whom they believe could have his iconic 1966 World Cup shirt to reveal what he knows. They called on Neville Evans to explain his mysterious declaration he is not ‘currently holding’ the famous red jersey. The vivid No6 shirt was the defining symbol of England’s greatest ever football triumph, but it went missing in mysterious circumstances. Now as Harry Kane and his squad vie to bring home the World Cup for a new generation, Moore’s ex-wife Tina Moore and their daughter Roberta Moore are trying to get back the shirt which could be greatest souvenir in British sporting history. Sir Geoff Hurst, the 1966 England team's hat-trick hero, has added his weight behind the campaign to find it.  Tina, who was married to the footballer for 24 years, has lodged a High Court case against Mr Evans, a Welsh tycoon she claims either has or has had possession of the shirt, or can help her recover it. He denies having it.  After the Daily Mail revealed the legal drama last week, Mr Evans issued a statement rejecting suggestions he was ‘currently holding’ the shirt. Tina said: ‘What does that mean, that he is not “currently holding” it? I mean, he could physically be wearing the shirt, and still say he isn’t “holding” it. The image every Three Lions fan holds dear: Bobby Moore in his iconic red shirt celebrating on the glorious day in 1966 when England won the World Cup for the first and only time  Football memorabilia tycoon Neville Evans (pictured) 'is, or was, in possession of the red shirt', according to court papers. There is no suggestion he acquired the shirt unlawfully. He has stated: 'I do not have Bobby Moore’s 1966 shirt' Roberta Moore and her mother Tina Moore, who was married to Bobby for 24 years, are determined to get back the famous red jersey after it vanished from the attic of the family home 'We just want to know where the shirt is, and we want him to tell us what he knows.’ Mr Evans, who denies having the shirt, is a well-respected dealer of sporting memorabilia and there is no suggestion that he acquired the shirt illegally.  In fact, Tina’s legal claim explicitly states she ‘does not need to allege, and does not allege, that Mr Evans came into possession of the red shirt by illicit means or in bad faith.’ In his statement, issued via his solicitors on Friday evening last week, Mr Evans said: ‘I wish to be categorical in relation to the allegation being made by Tina Moore that I illegitimately acquired Bobby Moore’s 1966 World Cup Final England red shirt and am currently holding it and preventing its return to Ms Moore. I do not have Bobby Moore’s 1966 shirt.’ The Mail sent a series of follow-up questions on Monday, asking Mr Evans whether he had ever had the shirt, even if he no longer has it.  We also asked what he meant by the phrase not ‘currently holding’ it, given the ambiguity, and also why he was denying something he had not been accused of. Tina’s legal team of Stephen Hackett and Andrew Dunn have also written to Mr Evans’s solicitors, BCLP, stating: ‘Mr Evans is careful to use the word “holding”. He could purport to own the red shirt but have it stored with someone else and his statement would be true.’ Court papers seen by the Daily Mail show the explosive claim 'Moore Vs Evans' which was lodged at the High Court a week ago Bobby and Tina Moore pictured in about 1972, six years after he led the England team to victory at the 1966 World Cup Baby Roberta and her proud parents pictured in 1965, the year before he was immortalised as the Three Lions legend who captained the team on the greatest day in England football history  Brazil legend Pele with Bobby Moore after their 1970 World Cup clash. They swapped shirts, and Pele's yellow jersey was in the same collection as the famous red shirt from 1966 If you know what has happened to Bobby Moore's 1966 red shirt, please get in touch. The family would be grateful for your help. Any approaches can be treated in confidence. Email  sam.greenhill@dailymail.co.uk or phone the Daily Mail newsdesk on 020 7938 6000.  Yesterday, Mr Evans’s solicitors sent the Mail an email. It did not directly address why he had said he was not ‘currently holding’ the shirt, but said he had ‘no reason to believe’ he had ever had it. The email stated: ‘He has never obtained any shirts in anything other than a lawful and reputable way, and he has no reason to believe he has ever acquired or been in possession of Bobby Moore’s 1966 shirt, either now or at any other time. Mr Evans does not know where Bobby Moore’s 1966 shirt is.’ The solicitors added: ‘We trust this provides clarity. As to your other questions, we do not intend to conduct litigation by correspondence with a journalist, because to do so is highly improper.’ The No 6 shirt, estimated to be worth more than £1million, was last seen more than 30 years ago, folded in a leather bag in the attic of the house Tina and Moore shared in Essex. When they divorced in 1986, Moore gave her all his memorabilia, including his shirts, medals and trophies. In Tina’s High Court claim, she maintains that, by law, she still owns it, wherever it is. The legal papers say it is believed 61-year-old Mr Evans from Aberystwyth ‘is, or was, in possession of the shirt’.  Mr Evans has vowed to ‘vigorously’ defend himself in the court process. With World Cup fever gripping England ahead of their showdown against Norway, Tina, 83, and Roberta, 61, are determined to solve the riddle of the missing top. The collection also included another historic jersey: the yellow shirt given to Moore by Brazil legend Pele when they swapped shirts at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The shirts were in the same leather bag, and the Moores believe they may still be together. Bobby and Tina Moore pictured outside their house in 1970. The red and yellow shirts were kept in a zipped bag in the attic, before mysteriously going missing The red jersey is the symbol of England's greatest football triumph but went missing from Bobby and Tina's attic in unknown circumstances  Mr Evans said he was not 'currently holding' the 1966 shirt, adding: 'I categorically deny that any of the shirts that I own have been obtained in anything other than an entirely lawful and reputable way'. He said he felt 'victimised' and vowed to fight the court case Tina was at a loss as to their whereabouts until 2021, when the Football Association offered a dramatic revelation: the England shirt had been ‘found’ in the hands of an anonymous private buyer. And, apparently, so had the yellow Pele one.  The FA informed the family that the famous red jersey had been discovered and photographed for a coffee table book about England shirts. It was then that the family saw for the first time in decades the missing shirt in photos taken in a studio somewhere in Britain. Yet to their frustration, neither the FA, the book’s publishers nor its authors could tell them who had the shirt. The book, Three Lions On A Shirt: The Official History Of The England Football Jersey, had three authors – and one of them was Mr Evans. He owns the National Football Shirt Collection, otherwise known as ‘The Neville Evans Collection’.