He’s famous now, and alive to enjoy it.
The Fernando Nuno La-Fuente situation might well be the story of the week before all is said and done, and we’ve not had The Late Late Toy Show yet.
In case you’ve somehow missed it, here’s a quick recap.
Leinster Senior League club Ballybrack FC recently posted a tribute to Fernando Nuno La-Fuente, one of their players who was said to have died in a “traffic accident”.
It later transpired that the player in question was very much alive.
The club released an official statement on Tuesday evening, noting that “a gross error of judgement” had occurred.
The resurrected man in question has seen the funny side of his new-found celebrity and very much corporeal status, having spoken to Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1 on Wednesday morning.
“It’s serious on their part, but I find it a little bit funny, because I am not dead and no-one has actually been harmed,” he said.
“My wife had some Facebook fuss but she already knew everything,” Fernando added.
“I had to call my mom straight away because she didn’t know anything,” he said, while laughing.
So no real harm done, then. Still, it’s quite the gaffe and certainly worthy of the world’s media placing further spotlight upon Ballybrack.
Here’s just some of the international reaction to the rather bizarre story…
Spanish daily sports chronicle Mundo Deportivo keep their headline simple yet intriguing, bolstered by a strong use of ellipsis.
Excellent sub heading too, it must be said.
Often-cited world news hub CNN got involved, unleashing this gem three lines in:
“The official’s scam was a ruse to get Saturday’s game postponed, but La-Fuente was later confirmed to be alive.”
‘Scam’ and ‘ruse’ inside six words? Take the rest of the day off, son.
Ever-acerbic American outlet Deadspin, meanwhile, opted for the more grabby lead of “Irish Soccer Team Caught Faking The Death Of Their Own Player To Get Out Of A Game” while seeming to marvel at the concept of lower tier Irish soccer itself.
They also got the word “bafflement” in there, and described the official Ballybrack stance as “a confusing statement”.
South Africa’s Sport 24 went with “grave mistake” in their headline, which is again excellent work that ought to be commended.
And check out this for an intro:
“Dublin – News of footballer Fernando Nuno La Fuente’s death, as American author Mark Twain said of reports of his own demise, have been greatly exaggerated and prompted an abject apology from his Irish club Ballybrack FC.”
A Mark Twain reference! Incredible.
Elsewhere, Indian publication Sportstar Live kept things fairly straightforward in their reporting, as did Goal.com.
Remember, the only thing worse than people talking about you…
