Threat Leads to Retirement
The death threat that this week forced midfielder Neil Lennon to withdraw from Northern Ireland’s game against Cyprus on Thursday prompted the 31-year-old to quit international soccer.
Saying “enough is enough,” Lennon said he could no longer put his family through the ordeal every time the national team plays.
“My parents are pretty distraught, really,” Lennon told Ulster Television.
“I’ve got a 10-year-old daughter who knows nothing about this ... and we’re going to try to keep her away from it as much as we can.
“Obviously, I can’t put them through this every time.... I’ve thought long and hard about it and decided that I probably won’t be going back to play for Northern Ireland.
“It’s not only my parents and my family that I have to think about. I’ve got to think about the team. The focus is taken away from the team altogether when things like this happen, and it’s not the first time it has happened.”
The Loyalist Volunteer Force, a Protestant paramilitary group, Thursday claimed responsibility for the death threat against Lennon, who is Catholic and plays for Scottish champion Glasgow Celtic, a predominantly Catholic-supported team.
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Minute of Silence
The English Football Assn. Thursday ordered that all games in the English league this weekend, starting with tonight’s match between Manchester United and Chelsea, be preceded by one minute of silence in honor of murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
Both girls were wearing replicas of David Beckham’s Manchester United jersey when they went missing.
Their bodies were discovered Saturday, and Beckham, England’s national team captain, has since paid his respects to their families.
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Uruguayans on Move
Midfielder Gustavo Varela, 24, Thursday signed a four-year contract to play for Schalke ‘04, becoming the second Uruguayan World Cup player to join the German Bundesliga club in the last week.
“He is very fast and highly skillful,” Coach Frank Neubarth said of the former Nacional of Montevideo player, who will be linked again with defender Dario Rodriguez, acquired earlier from Penarol.
A third Uruguayan national team player, midfielder Pablo Garcia, Thursday moved on loan from AC Milan in Italy to Osasuna Pamplona in Spain, where he will play for former Mexico national team coach Javier Aguirre.
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Mullan Suspended
The game-ending hard slide tackle Galaxy reserve forward Brian Mullan put on Kansas City Wizard defender Nick Garcia during the Galaxy’s 2-1 win Wednesday night has earned Mullan a red card suspension and $250 fine, it was learned Thursday.
Referee Alex Prus did not show Mullan a red card at the time of the play, which precipitated a bench-clearing screaming match between the teams, but he included it in his official report to the league.
Mullan will sit out the Galaxy’s game Saturday at Dallas, an absence that may hurt the Galaxy more with Cobi Jones’ status day to day because of a sprained right big toe.
