Dublin club Ballybrack FC told the Leinster Senior League that Fernando Nuno La-Fuente had been killed in a road traffic accident, when he had in fact returned to his native Spain weeks earlier.

The league subsequently notified other clubs of La-Fuente’s supposed death and placed a notice in the press.

However, it later emerged that the Ballybrack official - who has now been sacked - had lied about the accident so that the team wouldn’t have to face Arklow Town on Saturday.

The absurd lie led to other clubs holding a minute of silence before their matches and expressing condolences on social media.

Leinster Senior League has now launched an investigation into the unprecedented incident.