Neil Lennon: We need to 'keep beating anti-sectarianism drum', says former Celtic manager

Following a string of recent incidents, Neil Lennon has urged people in sport to take a stand against bigotry.

A video showed the Republic of Ireland's women's team singing a pro-IRA song while Kyle Lafferty was removed from the NI squad for making a sectarian comment.

"You just have to keep beating the drum to try and find a level playing field but it's not just sectarianism," said the former NI player and Celtic manager.

He said there is sexism and racism in some quarters. We live in an open society and we get dragged back whenever we try to move forward.

Lennon had to withdraw from a Northern Ireland match in 2002 after receiving death threats while playing for Celtic.

Celtic were fined by Uefa after fans displayed an offensive anti-monarchy banner during their game against Shakhtar in Warsaw last month, while a 10-game ban is possible for Kyle Lafferty if he is found guilty of making a sectarian remark.

The Republic of Ireland women's players are under investigation by Uefa for singing a pro-IRA song after they qualified for the World Cup.

I've been through it myself. "It's got to come from the home," said the 51-year-old, who will be in charge of Omonia at Old Trafford on Thursday.

The man has made a mistake. He needs to own that. I'm not sure if the reference is about the Republic team.

Celtic fans are anti-monarchists. It's not just a sport. It's a political issue.

The Troubles in Ireland have been documented for over half a century. How do you make it better?

I can't speak for them. I can't say anything for them. I hope they learn from their mistake.