LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – An odd occurrence during Lecco’s clash with Piacenza in Serie C saw ex-Juventus forward Cristiano Bunino sent off for urinating on the pitch sidelines.
Just at 73 minutes on the clock when Lecco boss Luciano Foschi concluded that the time had come to introduce Bunino off the bench in a third tier Group A fixture.
Unfortunately, the 26-year-old never got a kick. He chose to answer a call of nature by the side of the pitch before readying himself for a second-half introduction, with his antics being spotted by the assistant referee.
Though Bunino did his best to hide what he was up to, the match officials were having none of it and promptly produced a red card.
The players on the pitch were left perplexed as to what was going on, with Bunino sent from the field as quickly as he had arrived.
Coach Foschi is reported by Gazzetta dello Sport to have said: “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, no-one saw it. 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 game in question finished 0-0, with former Italy U19 international forward Bunino unable to offer his striking talents to the collective pursuit of goals, and he will now have to serve a suspension for the most unusual of offences.
