Lennon threat not accompanied by codeword

The death threat which forced Glasgow Celtic midfield star Neil Lennon to pull out of the Northern Ireland Squad last night could have been a hoax.

The threat, made before the friendly against Cyprus, came in a call to the BBC in Belfast, purporting to come from the Loyalist Volunteer Force.

The BBC said the threat made to their main Belfast switchboard was not accompanied by a code word. Normally such calls would be made to the newsroom and be accompanied by a recognised code.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland refused to speculate today whether they considered the threat to be the work of the terror group or a hoax by a bigoted individual.

"We would not discuss the security of any individual," said a spokesman.

The Catholic player, who had been due to captain his country in last night’s game, pulled out after consulting family, friends and Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy.

It was not the first time he had been subject to sectarianism on the pitch.

Lennon, from Lurgan, Co Armagh, was booed by sections of the Northern Ireland crowd 18 months ago when he joined Martin O’Neill’s championship-winning Glasgow Celtic team.

Politicians, players and football bosses united to condemn the threat - be it real or hoax.

Northern Ireland Security Minister Jane Kennedy said: "Once again a handful of sectarian bigots have disgraced Northern Ireland in the eyes of the world by ensuring that the captain of the Northern Ireland football team cannot play in an international game.

"It is shameful that people cannot go about their lawful business without intimidation and threats."

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan said the threat was deplorable. "Sectarianism and paramilitarism should not intrude into the sporting arena," he said.

"Neil Lennon is not just a first class player on the field but is someone who has a real commitment to sport at a youth and community level regardless of background," added Mr Durkan.

Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson condemned the death threat and said the vast majority of football supporters in Northern Ireland would be appalled.

"Anyone who is decent and believes in respect would condemn this death threat," he said.

"When we support our national football team ... it doesn’t matter to us whether a player is a Catholic or a Protestant, whether they play for Rangers or for Celtic. What matters is that they play well for their country.

"The individual who issued this death threat speaks for no-one. The vast majority of people in Northern Ireland would be appalled by this threat."

Irish Football Association chiefs angrily denounced those who forced Lennon out of the game.

Association president Jim Boyce said he fully respected the player’s decision. But he added: "This is just unbelievable. It is a terrible blight once again on society in Northern Ireland especially when you think of the efforts made by the Irish Football Association to stamp this sort of thing out.

"It is something that the decent people of Northern Ireland totally and utterly condemn."

Mr Boyce went to the match, but said the heart had been knocked out of it. "How do we recover from blows such as this?" he said.