Razeen Gutta
Blackfield & Langley FC goalkeeper Connor Maseko was sent off for urinating in a hedge behind the goal in their FA Cup first round qualifying game against Shepton Mallet.
The goalkeeper was shown a straight red card with 15 minutes to play in the encounter on Saturday afternoon after relieving himself in a bush behind the goal posts as he went to pick the ball up for a goal kick.
Laughter in the terraces “quickly turned to shock”, one spectator told The Mirror post-match as “Maseko wore a look of horror as the ref produced the red card”.
Conor McCarthy, manager of Southampton-based team Blackfield & Langley FC, defended his goalkeeper’s actions — saying after the game that “Sometimes when you have to go, you have to go”.
“The opposition team, Shepton Mallet, had a shot and it went over the goal. With our ground, there’s about 40 yards of grass behind one of the goals which Connor was in, and then there’s a hedge and Connor obviously needed to go to the toilet and took the chance,” he said.
“It seemed fine at first, no-one seemed to make a big deal of it and I think the opposition players saw it as an opportunity to try and get the ref on their side so they were shouting ‘ref, ref, what’s he doing?’ The ref then took notice and decided to send Connor off.”
According to Itv, this is the first ever red card for urinating in the history of the FA Cup, the oldest cup competition of all time.
The two sides played out a 0-0 draw and will face off in a replay on 6 September.
Image source: @Itv
