2011年5月11日星期三

Celtic manager Lennon hit by fan

 11 May 2011 Last updated at 16:34 ET  Celtic boss Neil Lennon is attacked during the game against Hearts A man has been arrested in connection with an attack on Celtic manager Neil Lennon during the second half of his team's game against Hearts.


A fan clambered from the Hearts section of the main stand at Tynecastle in Edinburgh after Celtic's second goal and made for Lennon on the touchline.


He connected with Lennon before being bundled to the ground and arrested.


Earlier this season parcel bombs addressed to Lennon, his lawyer and a politician were intercepted by police.


Celtic won Wednesday night's game 3-0 to ensure the Scottish Premier League title race goes to the final day.


The incident occurred after their second goal, in the 49th minute.


A supporter ran along the touchline towards Lennon and made contact with the Celtic manager before being pushed to the ground by police and stewards, handcuffed and bundled out of the stadium.


Trouble then broke out in the Celtic section of the ground between fans and police.


The Celtic manager looked stunned after the attack but was uninjured.


Lothian and Borders Police said a man had been reported to the procurator fiscal and would appear in court in connection with the incident.

Continue reading the main story James Cook Scotland Correspondent, BBC News

For a decade Neil Lennon has been a magnet for abuse, threats and violence.


A Roman Catholic from Lurgan in County Armagh, he stopped playing international football for Northern Ireland in 2002 after a death threat, said to be from loyalist paramilitaries.


Two men were sent to prison after assaulting Lennon in the street in the West End of Glasgow in 2008.


And in January this year bullets addressed to the Celtic manager were intercepted at a postal sorting office.


But the most serious threat was still to come.


A total of three parcel bombs addressed to Neil Lennon have now been intercepted in the west of Scotland.


The bomber has still not been arrested and Lennon and his family are living amid tight security which includes a panic button in their house.


"I've had this for 10 years", he said recently, "but I don't want to say you get used to it, because you never do."

A police spokesman said: "A number of incidents took place during this match including some violent disorder.


"Lothian and Borders Police will fully investigate all of the incidents that occurred at the match this evening and will work closely with both football clubs and the SPL."


Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan issued a statement, saying: "Clearly this kind of behaviour from supporters is wholly unacceptable.


"The safety of players, club officials and match officials is paramount on or around the field of play, and this clear breach of security is a matter I will be discussing with SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster tomorrow."


Mr Doncaster said he was "shocked and appalled" by the incident.


He said the incident would be investigated thoroughly.


First Minister Alex Salmond said: "This sort of behaviour is utterly unacceptable.


"The Joint Action Group formed after the recent football summit is developing the eight-point plan to present to ministers before the start of the new season to tackle all issues of violence and bigotry in relation to football, because we cannot have the safety of individuals endangered by such mindless incidents, and our national game tarnished."


Hearts vowed to give its full co-operation to the authorities during the investigation into the incident.


A club statement said: "An investigation into events which took place in the second half of tonight's game against Celtic is now under way.


"Hearts is a club which prides itself on its 'football for all' policy and these sorts of actions have no place in the game of football."


Former Northern Ireland player Lennon has been in the headlines regularly this season.


In January a package addressed to him containing bullets was intercepted at a sorting office in Country Antrim.


In March, the club confirmed Lennon was under 24-hour security surveillance after a suspicious package was intercepted at a Royal Mail sorting office in Saltcoats, Ayrshire.


On 19 April it emerged that Royal Mail intercepted a total of two "viable" parcel bombs addressed to Lennon.

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