Copa America: Edinson Cavani sent off after Chile defender Gonzalo Jara 'pokes finger up his backside' [Video]

Edinson Cavani was shown a controversial red card as nine-man Uruguay crashed out of the Copa America after a 1-0 defeat to Chile.

Mauricio Isla's 82nd<sup>-minute strike proved to be the difference in a fiercely contested quarter-final but the biggest talking point of the evening came 20 minutes earlier when Chile's Gonzalo Jara appeared to poke his finger up the backside of Cavani.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker reacted by hitting out with a meek slap, prompting Jara to dive to the floor before the referee issued the Uruguayan with his second booking of the evening following a first-half yellow for arguing with the match officials over a foul on Arturo Vidal.

The incident came a year to the day that Luis Suarez was caught on camera biting Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup clash between Uruguay and Italy.

Uruguay's problems went from bad to worse when five minutes after Chile's goal, Jorge Fucile was also shown a second yellow card. Head coach Oscar Tabarez was sent to the stands for protesting the full-back's dismissal and was left equally furious with the Cavani incident.

"You can see what happened and what the challenge was. I refer you to the television and photos of it, it is all there," Tabarez said after the match. "I can see that the referee has not seen it, but the linesman had to be able to see it from his position."

The question as to whether Cavani should have been involved in the match will be asked after the striker's father Luis Cavani was arrested days earlier for his involvement in a car crash that left a 19-year-old motorcyclist dead, the Guardian reports.