Lennon will not be allowed to make Irish switch after threats

NEIL LENNON will not be able to play for the Republic of Ireland soccer team following his decision to quit the Northern Ireland team because of death threats.

Previously, internationals such as the late Manchester United captain Johnny Carey played for both countries.

However, the Irish Football Association in Belfast insisted that strict, new FIFA rules prevent the Celtic player and former Armagh GAA minor Lennon from transferring.

"As soon as a player runs on to a field in a competitive match, he's bound to that football association for life," an IFA spokesperson said.

Players from the North can opt to join the national team here if they haven't played any competitive games.

The last high-profile player to switch is the retired international central defender, Alan Kernaghan. Kernaghan was a schoolboy international with the North before joining Jack Charlton's team prior to the 1994 World Cup Finals.

Loyalists insisted that the warning which forced Lennon to pull out of Wednesday night's game against Cyprus in Belfast was bogus, but the Celtic man said he was announcing his retirement from international soccer.

The Catholic player declared: "It is a shame it has to end this way."

Jim Boyce, president of the Irish Football Association and team manager Sammy McIlroy had earlier urged the player to stay on.

Lennon's family in Lurgan, County Armagh, had also been threatened.

His future with the team had been in doubt for the past 18 months when he was booed by a small section of the Northern Ireland supporters at Windsor Park.

But just a few hours before he was due to captain the side in Wednesday night's friendly, police told there had been a threat against him.

Sources close to the Loyalist Volunteer Force, which allegedly issued the warning, insisted that the threat was bogus.

Lennon said he took the decision because he "could not keep putting myself and my family through this".

The 31-year-old player praised the support he had received from the IFA, his manager and the real Northern Ireland fans.

He had enjoyed playing for the team, but he was confident his decision was right for himself and the team, he added.

Lennon said he had thought long and hard about the decision, but added: "It is time for me to say, enough is enough."

Lennon said his parents were distraught, but his daughter was unaware of the threat.

He added: "I am sorry for them and everyone associated with the Northern Ireland team. I will miss it, but I have got to move on."