Intimate piercing gets player sent off

The captain of a park soccer team in Australia was red carded for refusing to remove an intimate piercing that was only discovered after he was hit by a ball in his nether regions, the Herald Sun reported Thursday.

Aaron Eccleston, the captain of the Old Hill Wanderers reserves in Melbourne, Victoria, was marched into a locker room by a furious field umpire during the bizarre incident that left players and spectators stunned.

The referee noticed the piercing after Eccleston was hit in the groin and left sprawling on the grass in pain.

"He got hit in the privates, and I guess he was just checking to see everything was still OK down there," an opposition player said. "But then the ump's [referee] spotted it."

A fiery confrontation between the pair erupted, which was captured on amateur video.

"Don't make it any worse or I will stop the game," the referee declared before ordering the player into the locker room. The ref walked from the building moments later and pulled out a red card.

Under VicSoccer rules, players are required to remove ear and nose piercings. Eyebrow piercings have to be taped over, but there is no rule for more intimate piercings.

The 28-year-old was suspended for at least a week. He declined to comment when contacted by the Herald Sun, but the video was posted to Twitter.