Dublin City University are expected to appeal the suspensions imposed on three of their footballers by the Higher Education Council (HEC). Ross Munnelly (Laois), Shane Ryan (Dublin) and Diarmuid Kinsella (Wexford) were all given 12-week bans for breaching an eligibility bye-law.

There may be further bad news for DCU as Westmeath's Dessie Dolan is also due before the HEC on similar charges.

For the suspended players the bans are a big shock. One of them, Munnelly, declined to comment on the issue beyond insisting that, as far as he was concerned, he had believed himself eligible to play in the recent Division One football semi-final against Sligo IT.

"Until I know more about the reasons for this I'd prefer to say nothing," he said. "But there's no way I'd willingly risk a three-month suspension."

Should the punishments be upheld after appeal, the players affected would miss the opening rounds of their counties' National Football League campaign, as well as the Sigerson Cup, which begins next month.

And it is still open to the HEC to expel DCU from the league, which would leave UCC as winners, as the two have reached the final. No date has been set for that match since its postponement from earlier this month, but it would probably have been fixed for the end of January.

The players would also miss the O'Byrne Cup, Leinster's pre-season competition. But from their counties' point of view they would have been missing anyway, as county players are obliged to line out with their colleges.

It would be a huge disappointment for DCU, who have put a massive effort into their Sigerson challenge for next year when they will host the competition.

Yesterday's statement said the three suspended players had fallen foul of Bye-law 30 of the council's constitution, but gave no further details. It is believed, however, that the matter at issue in all cases was the educational status of the players involved.

Bye-law 30 is a long and exhaustive provision, headed: "Definition of Student Eligibility". The crucial provisions appear to be contained in 30 (b) - "Eligible courses of study shall include the following: (i) a recognised full-time course, which is worth at least 60 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits per academic year."

All three players are pursuing post-graduate degrees at DCU, which the university categorises as part-time in its prospectus. Munnelly and Ryan are studying for Masters in Education (as is Dolan), whereas Kinsella is pursuing an MSc in Treasury.

But the three are also working, Ryan full-time as a teacher, Kinsella full-time with a bank and Munnelly part-time with teaching hours.

Full-time occupations in themselves don't rule players ineligible, but the part-time nature of their courses is a sticking point, as is the threshold for academic credits.

It is also possible that even if the players win their appeal on a technicality, they could then be challenged on the above grounds by any of DCU's opponents and would run the risk of being ruled ineligible.

Players have been declared ineligible before. In the 1990s, UCC were expelled from the Higher Education League for fielding a player who admitted that he was a part-time student. Earlier this decade, the University of Limerick were put out of the Fitzgibbon Cup for fielding an ineligible player (coincidentally, following an objection by DCU).

The current suspensions were imposed on the basis of information supplied by the Eligibility Committee, a body established to monitor what has become an increasingly contentious area in higher education competition.

Appeals will be taken at national level, with the likelihood that the Central Appeals Committee and even the Disputes Resolution Authority will be pressed into service.

The news was untimely for the HEC, as it distracted from the draws for the third-level competitions, which were made yesterday. Fitzgibbon holders Limerick IT will play Galway IT in the first round, whereas Sigerson champions Sligo IT get their defence under way in round two against Dundalk IT.

Meanwhile, the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland has appointed Roger Keenan as their high performance manager for Gaelic football. Keenan, from Gortin, Co Tyrone, has served as coaching and development officer within his county, where he also managed Carrickmore to the county title.

His responsibility will be to manage a panel of 20 footballers, who will have access to services and support at the institute. The programme is being organised in partnership with the Ulster Council and is funded by the Sports Council of Northern Ireland.