Copa America 2015 host Chile would be facing Peru in the semi-finals of the event in matter of hours, but thanks Chile defender Gonzalo Jara’s finger up Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani’s backside, the team is now left in a sticky predicament, where they have to go into tonight’s game with untested central defensive partnership.
Jara, who faced a disciplinary hearing by South American soccer’s ruling body CONMEBOL due to last week’s quarter-final incident, has been banned for three matches and thus now would not be playing tonight’s semi-final or the finals, if Chile is able to win tonight’s game against Peru.
The news broke earlier today, when a statement was released by the Chilean Football Federation. The statement read “The Chilean Football Federation has been informed of the suspension for three matches of Gonzalo Jara by the disciplinary committee of CONMEBOL.” They then further added “We regret this sanction but we will accept it.”
The South American soccer’s ruling body had opened disciplinary proceedings against Jara this Saturday, after they had received a formal complaint about his conduct by the Uruguayan officials.
With Jara not being available to tonight’s match, Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli now faces a major headache of fielding an almost untested player in the team’s central defensive line up.
Over the course of the event Jara, had formed a very effective central defective unit along with Inter Milan’s Gary Medel. With him gone, team coach Sampaoli will now have to rely on either Francisco Silva or Miiko Albornoz or Jose Rojas for his central defence.
This is not for the first time that Jara had been involved in a controversial on field incidence; back in 2013 Jara was punched in the face by another Uruguayan opponent Luis Suarez, after he had appeared to grab his testicles during a World Cup qualifier.
