Last updated on .From the section Irish

Ballybrack FC have apologised for the incident

Ballybrack FC have escaped expulsion from the Leinster Senior League after falsely reporting the death of one of their players.

The league's executive committee has sanctioned the club, but details of the punishment have not been revealed.

The individual who issued the false report has also been sanctioned.

Ballybrack's match against Arklow Town on Saturday was postponed after they claimed Fernando Nuno La-Fuente had died in a traffic accident.

A minute's silence for the Spaniard was also held before other fixtures.

The club apologised and the individual responsible for making the report was removed from club's senior team committee on Tuesday.

In a statement issued on Friday, Leinster Senior League said "Ballybrack FC will accept all sanctions handed down by the league and have thanked Arklow Town for their support throughout this process.

"The league have ruled that sanctions - which match FAI Rules - have been imposed on Ballybrack FC for failing to fulfil the fixture," the statement continued.

"The club has been sanctioned for bringing the game into disrepute, and the individual involved is also sanctioned for bringing the game into disrepute.

"All correspondences between the league and the club will remain private, but the league can confirm that Ballybrack FC were not removed from the league altogether.

"The league would like to appeal to the media and the general public to respect the privacy of the former club volunteer involved in the incident, who made an error that they have privately apologised for."

The league had previously placed a death notice in an Irish newspaper offering its "heartfelt condolences" to his family and the club.

Ballybrack said "a gross error of judgement has occurred emanating from correspondence sent from a member of the senior set-up management team".

It added the "grave and unacceptable mistake was completely out of character and was made by a person who has been experiencing severe personal difficulties unbeknownst to any other members of the club".