When you have to pee, you have to pee. That's probably what Argentino de Merlo midfielder Leonel Ovejero was thinking when struck by the natural urge, so he decided to drop his pants and proceeded to urinate on the field where the game between his team and Sacachispas was being played.
Little did he know the act would cost him a straight red card.
Player sent off for urinating on the field
The scene occurred during the late stages of a dull 0-0 game in the Primera B Metropolitana (Argentina's third division) when Ovejero — taking advantage of a break in play because of an injury — went over the sidelines and relieved himself from the bladder pressure he was enduring.
¡EXPULSADO POR ORINAR!
Si, estás leyendo bien. Leonel Ovejero, jugador de Argentino de Merlo fue expulsado por orinar en la cancha.#PrimeraBEnTyCSports⚽️ pic.twitter.com/SwLWMMsw7V— TyC Sports Play (@TyCSportsPlay) July 5, 2023
Of course, the incident didn't go unnoticed by the ref, who quickly reached into his pocket to show him the red card.
However, for the rest of the mortals, there was confusion. Fans, coaches and even the people narrating the game on TV didn't know what was going on until the reporter on the field confirmed it.
"He dropped his pants and urinated on the field," she said.
The pundits on the cabin couldn't believe Ovejero's actions, so the reporter insisted, "I swear to you, that's what the fourth official is saying."
Other pee incidents
And while the Ovejero situation is rare, it's not the first ever.
In 2022, Connor Maseko, goalkeeper for English side Blackfield, was sent off after peeing during an FA Cup match against Shepton Mallet, while New Zealander Max Crocombe had the same fate in a Salford City vs. Bradford AFC game in 2017.
76| Blackfield keeper is sent off for urinating in the hedge! Never seen it before. 0-0. #towncalledmallet
— Shepton Mallet AFC (@Mallet_AFC) September 3, 2022
87' - We can confirm that Crocombe has been sent off for urinating during the game. We are not joking. #greenarmy (1-2)
— Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC (@BPAFCOfficial) October 28, 2017
More fortunate was goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who famously pulled the trick off while playing for Stuttgart during a Champions League match vs. Romanian side Unirea Urziceni without even taking a yellow card in 2009.