Soccer-Lecco's Bunino red-carded for urinating next to pitch

Luciano Foschi, the Lecco manager, thought it was a harsh punishment for the former Italy under-19 international. "It's the rules and they must be applied, but I was hoping that the officials would use common sense because he didn't offend anyone and no one saw it," Foschi told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Former Juventus striker Cristian Bunino was left red-faced and with a red card after being caught urinating on the side of the pitch before coming on for Serie C side Lecco. Bunino was about to be introduced as a substitute in the 76th minute of the Group A match at Piacenza when Mother Nature called and he opted to discreetly relieve himself.

Sadly for the 26-year-old he was caught in the act by one of the match officials and shown a red card on Sunday. Luciano Foschi, the Lecco manager, thought it was a harsh punishment for the former Italy under-19 international.

"It's the rules and they must be applied, but I was hoping that the officials would use common sense because he didn't offend anyone and no one saw it," Foschi told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I was hoping for a yellow card, but the referee didn't make a mistake. And Bunino? In my opinion, he didn't even know what was going to happen."

The match ended in a 0-0 draw.