History: A Goalie In England Becomes The First Person In 150 Years To Get A Red Card For Peeing In A Bush During The Match

Andreas Rentz. Getty Images.

[Source] - The goalkeeper sent off after urinating in a bush was relieving himself discreetly, his joint-manager insists.

Connor Maseko, playing for Blackfield & Langley against Shepton Mallet in the FA Cup first qualifying round, was shown a red card by Benjamin Duffill when he urinated in a bush while retrieving the ball for a goal kick. However, Conor McCarthy, his joint-manager, defended him.

“He was not in the public’s vision. It was not like he was brandishing his parts,” McCarthy said. “He was in the hedges having a wee whilst trying to find the ball.

“The referee’s words after the match were: ‘if he’d asked me, I would not have sent him off.’”

Discussions of suspension for urinating will be without precedent even in the FA Cup’s 151-year history.

“I’m not aware of it happening before, or of anything similar, in the FA Cup or elsewhere,” Phil Annets, of FA Cup Factfile, said.

I don't mean to keep talking bad about refs, but what the fuck is wrong with this guy? You give a red card because someone has to pee? Let me tell you as someone dealing with night time potty training a 2-year old, you let them go wherever, whenever. You want to clean up piss filled shorts? I don't think so. So if the goalie needs to go pee in the bushes, let him. He's at least kind enough to not go on the pitch. 

I just love that 1) there's a record of this. Multiple newspaper outlets in England are reporting it's the first red card in the 150-year history of the FA Cup. I assume there's a Schwab somewhere over there scouring the reports to look for a red card. And 2) I love that the manager came to his defense. That's a guy you want on your side. He was in the bushes looking for a ball! Where else do you want him to pee sir? 

If this doesn't get overturned there should be a lot of complaining. You don't eject a guy for taking a pee in the bushes.