[3] They recruited Dennis Lukens to oversee operations in Ireland as they began the application process with the FAI.
Other players from the lower leagues of Armenian and Ukrainian football were also approached about playing for Dublin County.
The apparent reasons provided were suggestions of mounting pressure from the athletics community to retain exclusive use of the stadium grounds in the build-up to the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
That evening, Lukens told The Irish Times that he would consult with his legal advisors as to whether there is a basis to pursue the matter but he described the organisation's behaviour as “absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional”.
The club were left frustrated at the outcome as they already had two full-time staff and 20 player contracts signed in the lead up to the season.