Weirdest red card in football? Brazilian player sent off for urinating next to the bench

One of football’s strangest sending-offs took place in Brazil’s Copa Paulista on Monday, when Sao Jose forward Micael was shown a straight red card before kick-off after urinating next to his team’s substitutes’ bench.

The incident took place moments before Sao Jose’s clash against Sao Caetano in the Sao Paulo State Cup, with referee Gustavo Holanda Souza taking immediate action after spotting the player relaxing next to the technical area.

As stunned Sao Jose players surrounded the referee in protest, Souza stood by his decision and sent Micael off before the ball was even kicked.

Micael, a striker on loan from Sport to So Jos-SP, was sent off before the match even started.

In short, the referee announced the reason: “leaving the pitch to urinate next to his bench before the start of the match”.

: Ulysses TV pic.twitter.com/nfYsWnnKLI— NE45 (@NE45 minutes) July 20, 2026

The referee explained the dismissal succinctly in his official record of the match.

“Sent off for leaving the field to urinate next to his team’s bench before the start of the game,” Souza wrote.

SAN JOSE PLAYS WITH 11 PLAYERS

Although the red card meant that Micael could play no part in the match, the timing of the incident worked in Sao Jose’s favour. As the dismissal came before kick-off, the club was allowed to replace him in the starting line-up without having to play a man.

Substitute Tche Tche took Micael’s place and made an immediate impact, scoring Sao Jose’s opening goal in a 2-1 win over Sao Caetano.

The unusual sending off quickly went viral on social media, prompting Sao Jose to apologize while admitting the referee was correct.

“Despite the joke, the message is serious: we apologize for what happened and take the incident as a learning experience. This is not acceptable. The stadium is a public place, not a urinal. Go ahead!” the club posted on social networks.

While the incident provided plenty of entertainment online, it also served as a reminder that players are expected to uphold standards of behavior before, during and after matches. Public facilities, including stadiums, are shared spaces and the referee considered Micael’s actions to be unsportsmanlike conduct deserving of a sending off.

Red cards before kick-off remain exceptionally rare in professional football, making Micael’s sending off one of the more bizarre incidents in recent Brazilian football. Despite the pre-match drama, Sao Jose recovered to claim all three points, ensuring the headlines belonged as much to the unusual dismissal as the result on the pitch.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

21 Jul 2026 22:31 IST