Neil Lennon, the Glasgow Celtic midfielder, was last night forced to withdraw from Northern Ireland's friendly international against Cyprus because of a loyalist death threat against him.
A caller claiming to represent the Loyalist Volunteer Force issued the threat yesterday evening through a Belfast newsroom.
Lennon, who was notified by police, pulled out of the game after he consulted his family. The match ended in a scoreless draw.
Lennon, a 31-year-old Catholic from Lurgan, said earlier this week that he was proud to play for Northern Ireland after he was named team captain by manager Sammy McIlroy.
He has over 30 caps for Northern Ireland, but his troubles began when he joined Glasgow Celtic from Leicester.
In a game with Norway 18 months ago he was subjected to sectarian heckling by a section of the Windsor Park crowd as a result of the Celtic/Rangers rivalry.
Death threats against Lennon appeared on walls in his home town of Lurgan and in Belfast at that time. One piece of graffiti depicted Lennon with a noose around his neck, alongside the words "Neil Lennon RIP".
The Northern Ireland football authorities, with support from the Minister of Sport, Mr Michael McGimpsey, have been trying to root out sectarianism in Northern soccer, but this is just a further example of the difficulties in dealing with the problem.
Mr David Bowen, general secretary of the Irish Football Association, said that Sammy McIlroy and the team had been "devastated" by the threats. "This is a sad day for football," he added.
