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As Northern Ireland's captain stands down after getting death threats because of his religion, his country's former skipper tells World Football's Alan Green he fears for the future...

During Northern Ireland's match with Norway last year, Neil Lennon was booed by a section of his own supporters every time he touched the ball.

The reason? Protestant Northern Ireland fans were angry he'd just signed for the club of his dreams Celtic, who have traditionally Catholic connections, and Lennon had recently expressed a desire to play for a united All-Ireland team.

Neil Lennon of Northern Ireland
'Enough is enough' - Neil Lennon
He endured the abuse and this week was looking forward to leading out his country as captain in the friendly with Finland.

But just before the game, the BBC in Northern Ireland received an anonymous phone call saying that if Lennon took the field, he would be killed.

For Lennon, this was the last straw. He withdrew from the game, and this week announced he would never play for Northern Ireland again.

Neil Lennon of Celtic
Lennon was abused for joining Celtic
Like Lennon, I'm from Northern Ireland and proud of it. But I do recognise that my country still has very serious problems to deal with. Belfast remains a divided city.

Although the 'troubles' as they're known hardly ever affected sport, there is still a situation whereby those from the mainly Protestant Shankhill area follow one team, and those from the largely Catholic Falls Road follow another.

Derek Dougan captained Northern Ireland in the early seventies.

He was a vigorous campaigner for a united Ireland football team, which he believed would ease the religious bigotry between Protestant and Catholic communities. He gave me his reaction to this week's events

"I suppose the word you'd use nowadays is gutted" he said. "I'm astonished, but it doesn't surprise me because I've been in Belfast in the last five weeks and I was horrified at the intimidation that still goes on there to prominent people.

"I had a word with Neil Lennon last year and made sure I went over to him, and that's a Protestant going over to him, and as a former captain of Northern Ireland I demonstrated my feelings to him - just to go out there and ignore it all. He took it in good spirits, and he's a nice young fellow, and it's a sorry, sorry state of affairs.

"I think he's right to quit" said Dougan. "Why should he put up with that nonsense? There is bias and discrimination and it's at all levels.

"I'm in favour of an All-Ireland team because after pitting my skills in Europe and around the world I feel an All-Ireland team would have done more than politics to bring the people together.

"There's not so much of a divide between us. It's only in the mindsets of people who don't know any better. But where does it end?

Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy
"When I was captain of the Northern Ireland team between 1969 and 1973 George Best had problems with intimidation in East Belfast. There were threats of serious violence against him.

"The Irish Football Association have only addressed this issue over the last five or six years after what has been happening to Neil Lennon. They have done nothing about it.

"Most of my best friends are Catholic in Northern Ireland, and I've got a lot of Protestant friends as well. But I don't really look at people as Catholic or Protestant, I look on them as human beings, and as long as they behave properly and set good examples for young people to follow then I can live with that.

"I was surprised the game went ahead at all - they should have pulled out" said Dougan. "And I do feel that if they were serious about addressing this problem Sammy McIlroy should have pulled the team out - after all it was only a friendly.

"That's the only way to face up to reality. Unless there is some sort of positive action to all of this then where does it end? Who will be next?
'George Best recieved threats when I was captain'

"I can honestly say that 97 or 98 percent of people in Northern Ireland want to live happily and get on with their lives. Unfortunately one or two percent are villains and thugs, and I hate to be pessimistic but as long as they are there I can't see a way forward.