Gascoigne: I don’t need your award
PAUL GASCOIGNE has broken his silence on the decision to shelve his induction to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame by saying he does not need to be included to ‘be recognised as one of the best’. The former Rangers and England midfielder took to social media yesterday to express his feelings at the controversial U-turn, posting a written message as well as footage of his famous Euro ’96 goal against Scotland at Wembley. The 51-year-old, who also played for Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio and Middlesbrough, was set to be honoured at a gala dinner in Glasgow on Sunday. However, after Sportsmail reported that some SFA board members were threatening to boycott the event if Gascoigne was to be inducted, the Hall of Fame
reversed their decision citing ‘factors including ongoing enquiries and concerns over the state of Paul’s health’. This was believed to reference his questioning by police on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman on a train in August. The U-turn caused anger with Gascoigne’s ex-Rangers team-mate Ally McCoist calling it an ‘embarrassment’. A petition asking for the decision to be reversed also attracted 17,000 signatures. Gascoigne, who joined Rangers from Lazio in 1995 and won both Scottish Player of the Year awards in his first season, wrote on Twitter: ‘I played some of the best football of my career at Rangers and loved the support of the fans. ‘I don’t need to be in the Scottish Hall of Fame to be recognised as one of the best. I feel the love of the people and know I was the best. Love you all Gazza xxxx.’