Police have confirmed an England supporter had a piece of his ear bitten off by another England fan at the World Cup in Brazil.
The attack happened during England’s Group D match against Uruguay in Sao Paulo on June 19.
Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore tweeted that he had seen footage of the vicious attack and claimed it would be ‘the biggest story in the UK, especially who did it’.
A video which appeared on the Sunday People website shows the victim’s neck covered in blood after he was set upon by a fellow England fan following the team’s 2-1 defeat.
With his left ear horrifically injured, the victim – believed to be Robert Farquharson – turns and tells the camera: ‘He bit my ear off and called me a black ****.’
Local police officers started an investigation after the fan made a complaint but the assailant has not been identified.
Chief Superintendent Rachel Barber said: ‘We were made aware during the England vs Uruguay match in Sao Paulo that an incident had taken place which resulted in an England fan having a portion of his ear bitten off by another England fan.
‘In the immediate aftermath, we managed to make contact with the victim and offered advice and support.
‘The day after the attack, the victim chose to make a formal complaint to the local police, and they opened an investigation.’
No arrests have been made yet but interviews with witnesses gave police a name for the alleged attacker, Ms Barber said.
Police went to England’s final match against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte in case the assailant travelled to the match but did not find him there.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are aware of an incident in Sao Paulo on June 19 involving a British national and we provided consular assistance.’
England lost the Uruguay match 2-1 after two goals from Luis Suarez, who was later banned from the competition for biting an Italian player.
