An Island League footballer was sent off last week for urinating in the bushes on the side of the pitch at halftime in the Combination 2 game between Ryde Saints Reserves and Ventnor reserves at Pell Lane.
At the time he was sent off, the player concerned was on the opposite side of the pitch to where the spectators, managers and players had been standing. At Pell Lane, the changing rooms are some distance from the pitch (especially the far pitch), so rarely do teams go back into the changing rooms for halftime.
It is not believed anything inappropriate was seen by anyone present at the game.
The player concerned – who by this time had finished his business – was shown a straight red card. When questioned, the referee said he had mentioned it [urinating] to managers and players before they started warming up.
A spokesperson for Ryde Saints said:
“This ‘law of the game’ that says players cannot go for a toilet on a nearby bush, from what I can see, does not exist. I have searched and searched through PDFs of The Laws of the Game found on the FA website and cannot see anywhere where anything of this nature is even suggested let alone stated as a law of the game.
“As a member of the public, using a public field, it’s not something nice, and perhaps shouldn’t happen. However it does, not just by hundreds of people within Island football each Saturday/ Sunday, but also by millions of people at grassroots games up and down the country every single Saturday. I have even been at games nearly every season where referees themselves have relieved themselves in a nearby bush at halftime or before the game. Not once has anyone seen a red card.
“The referee referenced a recent match whereby a goalkeeper was sent off for a similar offence but failed to mention that the game was still in play, and the goalkeeper was collecting a stray shot when he stopped for a wee, so a completely different scenario to this one. I have also searched through referee forums that have discussed this, with nearly everyone suggesting the act of using a bush as a toilet is not a red card offence.
Article continues below this advertisement “It’s the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever seen. If the red card is to stand, then I will assume that all referees on the Island will have communication to show anyone that relieves themselves anywhere but a toilet/urinal at any Island league game a red card, and I will make sure they enforce it.
“The most disappointing thing is at the end of the game, when trying to discuss with the referee, all he could do was laugh. Please do not mistake this as an angry reaction to losing a game of football. The score may or may not have been the same if the referee had not made the decisions he made, or didn’t make, nobody knows.
“But I do not believe this referee should referee grassroots Island football if he cannot distinguish the difference between Wessex League, where there are likely to be players with more professional behaviour and suitable facilities, compared to players who are just playing for a bit of fun on a Saturday and having to walk a long distance to the nearest toilets because that is what the facilities are.”
Unacceptable. If he didn’t expose himself to anyone then he was answering a call of nature. No doubt the ref is a tory.
Better than pissin in his shorts..
A yellow card would have been appropriate.
Yet it is perfectly acceptable for a certain professional female marathon runner to stop in front of tv cameras and pee in the gutter in full view of thousands of spectators. This ref is obviously a joke.
Is he incontinent then, surely he should be able to go for 2 hours without needing the loo?!