Soccer-Jara's fate in the balance as CONMEBOL waits on Uruguay

SANTIAGO, June 26 (Reuters) - The South American Football Confederation will only decide whether to take action against Chile's Gonzalo Jara if Uruguay present a formal complaint, a member of CONMEBOL's disciplinary committee told Reuters on Friday. Defender Jara has come under heavy criticism for sticking his finger up an opponent's backside during host Chile's 1-0 quarter-final win over Uruguay in the Copa America. With Wednesday's match level at 0-0 after an hour, Jara gave striker Edinson Cavani a friendly tap and when he did not retaliate the 29-year old Mainz 05 defender poked his finger up the Uruguayan's back passage. Cavani responded with the slightest of touches but Jara fell to the ground as if he had been punched. The incident brought Cavani his second yellow card and Chile went on to score the winner with eight minutes left. "I understand that the AUF (the Uruguayan Football Association) will make a complaint," Adrian Lieza, one of the five members of the committee told Reuters. "In which case we will hear it. "Up until now we have never taken the initiative since the committee was established in 2013 and we won't do that for on the field incidents," he said. Lieza said he and the Chilean member on the committee would recuse themselves if a complaint was made, leaving three other members to decide. Chile's semi-final against Peru is scheduled for Monday. Uruguay fans and media were indignant about the incident with former captain Diego Lugano threatening to take the matter up with Jara when the sides meet again in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. "We're going to have to have a word with that lad 'Jarita' (little Jara) when our paths cross," the famously robust centre back said via Twitter. However, former Argentina coach Carlos Bilardo said such sly attacks were always part of the game but are now harder to hide. "It's always happened," Bilardo told Chilean newspaper El Mercurio. "I prefer this to my leg being broken. "What happens now is that you can see it on the internet, on the phone. There are a lot of cameras at these matches and everything is known. Before, no one would have cared." Jara's team mates came to his defence and accused Uruguay of sour grapes. "The Uruguayans are shameless," David Pizarro said at a news conference on Friday. "It is difficult for them to accept their defeat. It's a shame that they don't analyse the way Chile played the other night." "We had 80 percent of possession. Two styles went head to head, and in my view, once more, good football won out -- skill over the physical game." (Writing by Andrew Downie; additional reporting by Rex Gowar and Gideon Long; editing by Ken Ferris)