Football: England fan's ear bitten off during Uruguay game
PUBLISHED ONJune 29, 2014 7:17 AM
LONDON - An England fan had his ear bitten off by another during the side's World Cup game against Uruguay in Brazil, police in Britain said on Saturday.
The assault at the Group D game in Sao Paulo on 19 June left the man with half of his left ear ripped off and bloodied, they said.
A fan has made a complaint to police and the name of a suspect has been given to police, although no arrests have been made, the Association of Chief Police Officers said.
England lost the game 2-1 to Uruguay, with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez scoring both goals, meaning that the European side failed to progress pass the group stage.
Suarez has since been sent home from the World Cup for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's final Group D match.
British police issued a statement after former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore tweeted that he had seen footage of the fan attack.
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." 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.
Britain's Foreign Office said it was "aware of an incident in Sao Paulo on June 19 involving a British national" and provided consular assistance.