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

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.