Arturo Vidal (man_kelly/Bigstock.com)

Chilean police say that Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed his car on Tuesday.

The football star, who has been playing for Chile in the Copa America, suffered minor injuries after the incident on the outskirts of Santiago, the Chilean capital.

Local TV showed Vidal leaving hospital in the back of a police car, en-route to the local station for questioning.

The Ferrari Vidal was driving sustained serious damage to the front left corner.

Vidal scored twice against Mexico on Monday, contributing to a 3-3 draw. He also scored one other goal against Ecuador, making him the leading scorer in the competition so far.

HIs accident is particularly untimely for the Chilean national side, however, since the Copa America is still underway.

"Doesn't happen in Europe"

José Sulantay, a former Under-20 coach for Chile who also worked with Vidal, told CNN: “It’s very serious to let this happen right in the middle of the Copa América.

“This kind of stuff doesn’t happen [when they’re playing] in Europe. I don’t understand coach Jorge Sampaoli and I don’t understand Vidal.”

Luckily Arturo's injuries are minor and he may yet play in Friday's match against Bolivia. The Ferrari's chances of a successful convalescence are not so good.

Vidal had been returning from a casino with his wife when the incident took place.

The 28-year-old has had his licence temporarily revoked by a local judge, and has been told to report to the Chilean embassy once a month upon his return to Milan, for a period of 120 days.

Vidal is clearly aware of how important he is to the chances of Chilean success in the Copa America. He allegedly told the arresting officer: “You can handcuff me but you’ll only be ******* up the whole of Chile.”

By Craig Hindmarsh