'˜Dead' amateur Irish footballer finds fame in his native Spain

Ballybrack FC, based in Dublin, was forced to apologise last month after someone from the club told the Leinster Senior League that Fernando Nuno La-Fuente had been killed in a traffic accident.

The side’s game against Arklow Town was postponed, while other teams in the league held a minute’s silence in honour of the player.

The league is also said to have posted a notice of his death in Irish newspaper The Herald before it was discovered that La Fuente was alive and well.

Ballybrack FC apologised and described the incident as a “grave and unacceptable mistake”.

Fernando has revealed that his new found celebrity status has extended to Spain, with the amateur footballer remaining the centre of attention after he returned to his family this week for the first time since false reports emerged that he had died.

“My mam (Amparo) works in the town hall in Spain and many of her friends came to my house to see me and speak with me over the past few days,” he said.

“We’re going to have a big party tomorrow (Christmas Eve) night and about 30 members of my family will gather together.”

Fernando, who was a special guest on Paddy Power’s Christmas Cracker, also revealed that his mother took him to the local medical centre for a full check-up after the Ballybrack incident.

He explained how his mum whisked him straight from the airport to the hospital when he landed back in his native country.

“She took me first to the dentist and then to the hospital,” he continued.

“Everything was okay. I tried to tell her I was fine but she wanted to see it with her own eyes.

“After it, she bought me a hot water bottle to bring back with me to Ireland.”

The club escaped expulsion from the Leinster Senior League but was sanctioned.

The individual who issued the false report was also sanctioned.