The Five Demands

Dopo l’allenatore Neil Lennon e il giocatore Niall McGinn, l’ufficio postale intercetta una busta contenente proiettili destinata al centrocampista Paddy McCourt

Neil Lennon, Niall McGinn, Paddy McCourt. Tutti e tre cattolici nordirlandesi, che attualmente rappresentano o hanno rappresentato il Paese a livello internazionale. Palese la matrice settaria delle intimidazioni via posta intereccettate dal personale degli uffici postali di Mallusk (contea di Antrim) – nei primi 2 casi – e Glasgow.
Indignazione e sgomento nei commenti che filtrano dall’entourage del Celtic Football Club. “I tempi sono molto cambiati e avevamo pensato che questo tipo di incidenti fossero una cosa del passato”, ha detto Gerry Carlile parlando con McGinn e McCourt, giocatori dei quali è agente.
“Credo che entrambi siano davvero determinati a far sì che questi incidenti non soffochino le loro rispettive carriere. Vogliono continuare a crescere, evolversi ed essere calciatori di successo”.
“Penso che entrambi i ragazzi sono professionisti, sono ottimi calciatori – che sanno come condurre e gestire se stessi molto bene e in ultima analisi, non vogliono essere coinvolti in una di queste sciocchezze”.
Nessuno dei giocatori ha avuto fino ad ora colloqui con la polizia, ma dovrebbero avvenire a breve.
Intanto c’è mobilitazione politica. Nelson McCausland, Ministro dello Sport, ha detto che si tratta di minacce “assolutamente riprovevoli”. “Qualunque sia il pensiero perverso o pervertito che abbia spinto qualcuno ad inviare questi pacchetti, ha ovviamente avuto modo di essere condannato da tutti i fan sportivi benpensanti  in Irlanda del Nord,” ha detto.
“Questo è totalmente contro tutto ciò che vogliamo vedere nello sport in Irlanda del Nord.”
Anche il Primo Ministro Peter Robinson ha ritenuto opportuno dover intervenire a proposito di queste “vergognose intimidazioni”. “Non c’è posto per un comportamento settario così vile in Irlanda del Nord.
“Tutti i benpensanti all’interno di tutta la comunità condanneranno in modo assoluto coloro che hanno spedito proiettili a Neil Lennon e Niall McGinn”.
“Non dovrebbero essere oggetto di tali intimidazioni vergognose. Esorto vivamente chiunque abbia informazioni sull’identità dei responsabili di questo episodio vergognoso di farsi avanti e condividere tali informazioni con la polizia”.

Bullet threats won’t put off Celtic duo says agent (BBC News Northern Ireland)
The agent of Celtic players Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn does not think they will be put off playing for Northern Ireland by recent threats.
Both players were sent bullets in the post, as was manager Neil Lennon, the former Northern Ireland captain.
Gerry Carlile, the Belfast-based agent for McCourt and McGinn, said they were saddened and shocked by the incidents.
However, he added: “I wouldn’t imagine either lad will be put off from playing international football in the future.”
The envelope addressed to McCourt, a winger from Londonderry, was found by staff at a Royal Mail sorting office in Glasgow on Tuesday.
Bullets sent to Celtic boss Lennon and Dungannon man McGinn were intercepted days earlier. Those packages were posted in Northern Ireland and found in County Antrim.
All three are Catholics from Northern Ireland who currently represent or have represented the country at international level.
Mr Carlile travelled to Glasgow on Wednesday to speak with the players.
“These are very changed times and we would have thought these type of incidents were a thing of the past,” he said.
“I think both of them are really determined that these incidents won’t stifle their respective careers. They want to continue to grow and develop and be successful footballers.
“I think both lads are professionals, they’re excellent footballers – they know how to conduct and handle themselves very well and ultimately they don’t want to be involved in any of this nonsense.”
He said neither player had yet spoken to the police about what had happened, but thought they would do so in the coming days.
‘Perverse’
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s Sports Minister Nelson McCausland said the threats were “utterly reprehensible”.
“Whatever perverse or perverted thinking prompted someone to send these packages, it’s obviously got to be condemned by every right-thinking sports fan in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“This is totally against all that we want to see for sports in Northern Ireland.”

Articoli Correlati

• Bullets sent to Celtic’s McCourt (bbc.co.uk)
• Bullets sent to another Celtic player (worldsoccer.com)
• Bullets sent to Celtic’s McCourt (bbc.co.uk)
• Paddy McCourt becomes the latest Celtic star from Northern Ireland to be sent bullets through the post (telegraph.co.uk)
• Bullets sent to Celtic star (skysports.com)
• Neil Lennon counsels Niall McGinn over bullets in post (guardian.co.uk)
• Bullets sent from Northern Ireland to Celtic manager and player (politics.ie)
• Bullets sent to Celtic player (independent.co.uk)
• Bullets sent to another Celtic figure (guardian.co.uk)
• Bullets sent to Celtic boss Lennon (bbc.co.uk)
• Celtic Manager Neil Lennon Handed Six-Game Touchline Ban (goal.com)
• “Celtic FC and Sporting CP Honored to Play in Historical Fenway Park” and related posts (nesn.com)
• Celtic Lodge Appeal Over Neil Lennon’s Six Match Touchline Ban (theoriginalwinger.com)
• Bullets Posted to Catholic Celtic Player And Manager (nytimes.com)
• Bullets sent to Celtic manager (bbc.co.uk)
• Bullet packages sent to Celtic manager Neil Lennon (guardian.co.uk)
• Bullets sent in post to Celtic boss Lennon (soccernet.espn.go.com)
• Celtic to appeal against manager Neil Lennon’s six-match ban for excessive misconduct at Hearts (telegraph.co.uk)