Paul Gascoigne's nomination for Scottish Football Hall of Fame pulled amid health concerns and boycott threats
The England legend was due to be inducted at a ceremony at Hampden Park on 21 October
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Your support makes all the difference.Paul Gascoigne’s nomination for the Scottish Football Hall of Fame has been withdrawn a little more than a week before he was due to be inducted, with the committee citing concerns over his health.
The former midfielder, who spent three years at Rangers, was scheduled to appear at the awards dinner at Hampden Park on 21 October after being proposed by the public and chosen by a panel.
But in a statement, the Hall of Fame committee confirmed that Gascoigne had been withdrawn from consideration this year as a result of “a number of factors”.
“Further to consultation with the chair and members of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame committee, due to a number of factors including ongoing enquiries, and concerns over the state of Paul's health, it has been decided to withdraw the nomination of Paul Gascoigne at the time from this year's nomination process,” they said.
Reports in Scotland claim the decision was prompted partly by a threat from several Scottish Football Association (SFA) board members to boycott the dinner in protest at the selection of Gascoigne, who has been involved in a string of controversies away from football in recent years.
The England legend has had long-running battles with alcoholism and mental health issues, and has also been involved in incidents of domestic abuse, racism and sectarianism.
He was fined in September 2016 for racially aggravated abuse of a black security guard in Wolverhampton and questioned by British Transport Police in August regarding an allegation that he touched a woman inappropriately on a train. Footage appearing to show him singing a sectarian song at a fan event in Alloa also circulated on social media last month.
Gascoigne joined Rangers from Lazio in 1995 and won the league in two of his three seasons at Ibrox, being voted Player of the Year in the 1995-96 season.
Speaking about the Hall of Fame’s decision, Gascoigne’s former Rangers teammate Ally McCoist said: “It’s just another embarrassment, really, to be honest with you.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that Gascoigne has been one of the players to brighten up Scottish football over the last 30/40 years, without no shadow of doubt.
“I actually think we got the best of Gascoigne when he was at Rangers. He was playing with Rangers when he scored one of England’s greatest goals, I was on the pitch at the time.
“You have to take a step back and look at it, he absolutely lit up Scottish football. And does he deserve his place in the Scotland Hall of Fame? You’re joking, 100 per cent he does.
“But it’s just what happens in Scottish football. Not only do they make mistakes, but they just shoot themselves in the foot all the time.”
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