A GROUP of Blackburn Rovers players were on their guard today after terrorist threats were aimed at Irish soccer stars.

The club and police have warned stars like Jason McAteer, Lee Carsley, Damien Duff - all due in action at Ewood today in the crunch relegation battle with Nottingham Forest - and Jeff Kenna, who is injured, to be extra vigilant.

Threats, claiming to be from the far-right Combat 18 group, were received at the Dublin HQ of the Football Association of Ireland and targeted English-based Irish players.

British and Irish police were told and the players, through their clubs in the FA Premiership and the Nationwide League's First Division, were informed of the development.

Rovers chief executive John Williams said: "We always take these things seriously and we have informed all our players. We are being very vigilant and we have done all the things you would expect us to do. We do not take any of these things lightly."

FAI president Pat Quigley said a handwritten letter had been delivered to his organisation's offices, claiming to be from Combat 18, and there had also been "quite disturbing phone calls". He added: "This is very distressing and worrying for the FAI and disturbing for the players and their clubs. These players are in England earning their living and entertaining thousands of supporters.

"It is disturbing that they should be threatened for just doing their normal days' work. You are talking about the Keanes and the Irwins and the Townsends (Andy Townsend, of Middlesbrough) and those players."

He reported that the threats had been directed at "high-profile Premiership and First Division players".

He said Combat 18 - who were involved in rioting that forced the Ireland-England friendly international at Dublin's Lansdowne Road stadium in February 1995, to be abandoned - "seem to be reasonably well-organised".

"They are people who could be in nice suits today, but combat gear tomorrow. They are obviously a very threatening organisation.

"It may be just a prank or to get this organisation publicity for themselves, I am not sure.

"But as far as the FAI is concerned, we rarely get anything like this. And because we got two or three in the one day, we became very concerned.

"It was only right to inform the police and tell the clubs and players so that they can take the necessary precautions."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.