Football man Lennon is ‘no politician’
Celtic manager Neil Lennon said he has never thought about leaving his job, despite the sectarian attacks on him in the past year.
A parcel bomb was sent to the Lurgan man in the post in March and Lennon has endured sectarian abuse and threats.
Bombs destined for high-profile Celtic supporter MSP Trish Godman and Lennon’s lawyer were also intercepted earlier this year.
Lennon said it has been a difficult year for him.
“I’m a football man, I’m not a politician or a leader of a religious cult, so there were things I had to deal with I shouldn’t have had to deal with.
“I’m pretty pleased with the way I handled things but I was well looked after from a security point of view.”
In the same week that two people appeared in court charged in connection with the parcel bomb campaign, Lennon was attacked by a rival fan during a match against Hearts.
And in a separate incident, he was sent a bullet in the post.
But it has not deterred Lennon from his work.
“It was difficult for my family at times, but it never really crossed my mind to leave the job because it’s just a huge privilege and the biggest thing in my professional life to do something like this.
“If I was going to lose the job I would want it to be for the right reasons – purely football reasons. I’d like to stay in this job a long, long time,” he said.
The 40-year-old who has managed the Scottish side since 2010 has welcomed moves by the Scottish government to clamp down on sectarianism in football.
Last month, the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill was introduced at Holyrood.
Under the proposals, perpetrators of online hate crime, such as abusive or offensive comments posted on Twitter and or behaviour deemed to be threatening, abusive, disorderly or offensive, could be jailed for up to five years.
“We’re living in 2011 now, I think people use football as a vehicle to vent venom,” said Lennon.
“In Scotland there’s two huge clubs and they can hide behind the sectarian issue.
“I applaud what the government are doing, bringing in new legislation to crack down on the internet because it’s a way of people writing venomous things and getting away with it.”
