An Irish amateur soccer club is facing expulsion from its league after faking a player’s death to get a match postponed.

Ballybrack FC told the Leinster Senior League that one of its players had died on the way home from training last Thursday and asked for its fixture on Saturday to be postponed.

The league agreed and other teams in the competition wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence before kick-off during weekend games.

But suspicions were raised when the league asked officials from the south Dublin club for funeral details so it could send a representative to the ceremony but were told Fernando Nuno La Fuente’s body had been flown home to his native Spain on Saturday.

“Immediately, alarm bells began to ring because there was no way arrangements like that could be made so soon after his death,” Leinster Senior League chairman David Moran said.

“Then, one of his friend’s came out to say he went back to Spain four weeks ago. To use a young man like this is nothing but outrageous.”

Irish police told the Independent.ie that there were no fatal accidents in the area on Thursday night.

It has been suggested that the club falsely reported the death as they were unable to field a team.

On Tuesday, Ballybrack FC issued a statement apologising for the matter and saying the person involved had been suspended from all club activities.