Paul Gascoigne has hit back at the Scottish Football Association and insisted he does not need to be in the Scottish Football Hall of Fame to know he was “the best”.
The former Rangers midfielder was recently voted into the hall of fame only for his induction to be cancelled amid reports that some SFA board members were planning to boycott the dinner later this month. Gascoigne wrote on Twitter: “I don’t need to be in The Scottish Hall of Fame to be be recognised as one of the best I feel the love & support of the People and know I was the best.”
The former England midfielder also directed footage of his Euro 96 goal against Scotland to the SFA’s official Twitter account with the message: “NO HARD FEELINGS xxxx”.
Organisers cited “a number of factors including ongoing enquiries and concerns over the state of Paul’s health” for the decision to withdraw Gascoigne’s invite. The decision caused widespread anger, with Ally McCoist – who played alongside Gascoigne during his two-and-a-half year stay in Glasgow – among the most vocal critics of the Scottish FA.
Paul Gascoigne (@Paul_Gascoigne8)
@ScottishFA NO HARD FEELINGS xxxx pic.twitter.com/mxmue9u4D1
“It’s just another embarrassment,” he told talkSPORT. “There’s no doubt that Gascoigne has been one of the players to brighten up Scottish football over the last 30 to 40 years. It was an absolute privilege and a pleasure to play with somebody of that talent. I actually think we got the best of Gascoigne when he was at Rangers. And does he deserve his place in the Scotland Hall of Fame? You’re joking, 100% 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.
“How can they release something saying Paul Gascoigne has been inducted into the Scotland Hall of Fame – great, Paul gets a boost – and then all of a sudden with nine days to go say it has been withdrawn? It’s an embarrassment, it’s an absolute embarrassment.”