Death threat forces Lennon to place family feelings first

Citing his young daughter, who thankfully was oblivious to the death threat issued against her father, and his distraught parents, Neil Lennon has announced he will almost certainly never play for Northern Ireland again.

Wednesday night's match against Cyprus at Windsor Park, Belfast, was supposed to have been the high point of Lennon's international career: his 41st cap and first as captain. That Lennon is a Catholic and plays for Celtic was, however, enough for the Loyalist Volunteer Force, or someone purporting to represent it, to telephone the BBC to promise Lennon would be killed if he took to the field.

Yesterday, Lennon announced he was retiring from international football and although Jim Boyce, the president of the Irish Football Association, said he hoped the 31-year-old, one of the few high-quality players available to the manager, Sammy McIlroy, would change his mind, the player appeared determined.

"I can't put them through this every time," the Celtic midfielder said yesterday. "My parents are pretty distraught. I've a tiny wee daughter, who knows nothing about this at the moment. I've thought long and hard about it and decided I probably won't be going back to play for Northern Ireland. I've enjoyed my career at international level but it's time to say that enough is enough. I can't keep putting the people I love through this every time."

Lennon was only asked to captain the side because of injuries to Steve Lomas and Gerry Taggart, but this is not the first time he has been targeted by Protestant extremists. He was booed throughout Northern Ireland's defeat to Norway at Windsor Park, shortly after his move from Leicester City to join his former manager, Martin O'Neill, at Parkhead. Ironically, O'Neill was the first Catholic to captain Northern Ireland and, although he led them to their greatest achievement, beating Spain in Valencia during the 1982 World Cup, he was seldom made to feel comfortable.

Boyce reacted to the Norway débâcle by bringing in private security to Belfast and distributing 10,000 red cards to fans to "give bigotry the red card" at Northern Ireland's next game, against the Czech Republic. The rousing reception Lennon received was more in keeping with the IFA's motto of "Equality, Diversity and Interdependence" and persuaded him to carry on.

Boyce thought he might yet be talked out of it again. "Just before this came out, I was with Neil's agent, Mel Stein, on a chat show and he was not aware Neil had made this statement. Many Northern Ireland supporters' clubs have been in touch with Glasgow Celtic and they, like me, have condemned the morons who made these threats. But we need Neil Lennon when we play Spain in October. People have changed their minds before and I hope he will do the same."

It is not the first death threat made against a Northern Ireland player. Most famously, George Best, a Protestant from the Cregagh Estate, was told by the IRA in a letter to the Manchester Evening News that he would "never return to England" if he played for Northern Ireland against Spain in November 1972. This followed reports that Best had donated money to Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party. The international was switched to Hull but, although Best played, the threats triggered his return to alcoholism. He represented his country just once more.

Shortly after his arrival at Rangers in 1995 another icon, Paul Gascoigne, mimed the flute-playing of an Orange Order bandsman after scoring against Steaua Bucharest in a pre-season friendly. Afterwards, a car flagged Gascoigne down and the driver threatened to "slash your throat" if it happened again. "You could see the pap out of my underpants," Gascoigne said later.

The murder of Andres Escobar, whose own goal against the United States in Los Angeles eliminated Colombia from the 1994 World Cup, is unquestionably the most vicious retribution meted out to a sportsman.

The suspects who shouted "Gol!" each time they put a bullet into Escobar's body were connected to the Medellin drug cartels, who lost vast sums betting on the result. The Colombia coach, Francisco Maturana, went into hiding.

Threats from organised crime or terrorist cells are in a different league to the "death threats" issued by unstable supporters outraged that their hero has left for another club, of which Rio Ferdinand was the most recent victim following his transfer from Leeds to Manchester United.

Arsenal brought in bodyguards for Sol Campbell after his move from Tottenham sparked threats of violence and his mobile phone number was released on the internet. David O'Leary, the Leeds United manager, called in West Yorkshire police after receiving menaces against his wife and children at the height of Lee Bowyer's and Jonathan Woodgate's trial for assault.

Violence casts its shadow well down football's food chain. In March 1983, the Lincoln City chairman, Gilbert Blades, and his entire board of directors resigned after receiving threats on their lives. Their crime was to have refused the manager, Colin Murphy, funds to strengthen his team. Lincoln City's average gate in the old Third Division numbered less than 5,000.