Football
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Edinson Cavani wants to put Gonzalo Jara backside-poke behind him

Edinson Cavani said the Copa America incident with Chile defender Gonzalo Jara was "turned into a circus" and both he and the Mainz defender said they were eager to move on when the two meet again on Nov. 17 as Uruguay host Chile in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. 

Cavani is returning to Uruguay's squad for the first time since World Cup qualifying started this week as the Celeste face Ecuador and Chile on Nov. 12 and 17.

The PSG forward served the two-match suspension for the incident in Chile's 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Uruguay after being sent off for responding to provocation from Jara, who was caught by TV cameras poking the Uruguayan's backside.

Jara, meanwhile, served out his own two-match ban after being sat for the Copa America semifinal and final.

The much anticipated Chile-Uruguay rematch is completely sold out and Cavani said he is eager to move on from the Copa America incident.

"Everyone asks me this and I answer always the same way: Not only in football but in life, things happen. This one is in the past and one has to try to take positives away from the negative and uncomfortable situations," the 28-year-old said. 

"I think that is the only way to improve and grow, that is part of the role we have as human beings. That is way, as far as I am concerned, this topic is done and is in the past and I hope that I can take the best out of it to grow from this point on."

Jara, who said that Chile are prepared for a "hostile" environment when they travel to Uruguay, agreed with Cavani.

"Despite what people talk about, the journalists and the TV, it is a closed case," Jara said during Tuesday's team news conference prior to Chile's match against Colombia in Santiago.

"We are apart from all that. In addition, we can't be coming out and clarifying each time someone talks about it and this is a football match, there has been enough of this asking of the same question. Each time we play Uruguay, the same topic comes up, we should be done with this subject." 

During the quarterfinal, Brazilian referee Sandro Ricci only punished Cavani for the incident, giving him a second yellow card, having booked him earlier in the match for complaining to the linesman.

Jara, whose provocation had been missed by the officials, was subsequently punished with a three-match ban, later reduced to two games on appeal.

There is plenty of bad blood between the two teams on the pitch. 

In 2013, Uruguay star striker Luis Suarez was sent off from a World Cup qualifier for punching Jara in the face after a similar provocation from the Chilean. Suarez himself is serving a nine-game international ban after biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.

"I regret it because of the circus that followed regarding the football situation and in life," Cavani said. "It seems to meet that it doesn't teach anything to people. I don't think anyone learns anything by the creation of so much circus."

Jara admitted that Uruguay would be tough to beat on their home pitch.

"It is important for us to win all our home matches as we did against Brazil," said Jara. "After that, just as we saw in Peru, we will be facing a hostile climate [as visitors against Uruguay]. But I was reading that Chile have never beaten Uruguay in Uruguay so obviously this match will be complicated.

"But it is obvious to say that qualifying is complicated. Uruguay have six points as we do, they won at home and away and against us they will want to win as the home team.

"Our goal is to start out right by beating Colombia [on Thursday], getting the three points which is the important goal and then we will analyse the situation.

"This team is always coming out to win and to play in the same way that we all know. Chile are not going to change anything and Chile come out to win, whether we are the home or away team. For us, nothing changes."

Finally, Cavani said the team have not talked about the Jara incident or the match against Chile. 

"Right now we are focused on Ecuador," he said. "It is possible that when Chile arrives we will discuss it. One has to be in the right head, focused on each game as it comes, that is the most important."

Ecuador host Uruguay on Nov. 12 in Quito and Chile in Montevideo on Nov. 17.

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