Neil Lennon confirmed his retirement from international football today following a death threat he received prior to Northern Ireland’s friendly against Cyprus last night.
Lennon, who was due to captain the side, received the threat from a paramilitary group shortly before kick-off and decided to pull out after taking advice from his family.
"It's a shame it has to end this way," said the Celtic midfielder who has been the target of sectarian abuse in the past because he is a Catholic and plays for Celtic.
"I am very disappointed that my desire to play for my country, and captain my team, has been taken away from me," he added.
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Northern Ireland's captain Neil Lennon
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His decision comes despite a claim today by sources close to the leadership of the Loyalist Volunteer Force insisting that the death threat was bogus and did not come from the group.
Earlier today Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Mr David Trimble, condemned the death threat, saying it was "a sad day for football".
Mr Trimble described the threat as a sinister development and said it undermined the efforts of the Irish Football Association (IFA) to combat sectarianism in the game.
While Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy understoods Lennon’s decision to quit he said he will pull out all the stops to prevent his skipper quitting and giving into these ‘morons’.
"We all thought this sort of thing was behind us, but it's still there," said a disappointed McIlroy who will give Lennon time before approaching him to reconsider.
"I'm going to let him play for Celtic at the weekend and I'm going to try and get a hold of him afterwards to have a chat with him and get his final thoughts on it.
"I will definitely try, when I speak to him, to ask him to re-think. I won't be putting any pressure on him because I can't do that. It is a serious matter, but I am hoping in time he may re-think.
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McIlroy had said he had no intention of trying to get the game called off because of the death threat.
The death threat was received by the BBC in the afternoon and relayed to the police and then the Northern Irish coaching staff, although the caller didn't use a recognised code word.
Additional reporting PA