After Paul Gascoigne was withdrawn from Rangers’ Hall of Fame nominations, Kris Commons expressed his disappointment in the decision.
Gascoigne was voted into the Hall of Fame only for his induction to be cancelled after reports that a selection of SFA board members were planning to boycott the dinner as they couldn’t be seen to be associated with the miscreant.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, Commons said: “A human being who has battled depression, alcoholism and suicidal thoughts for the majority of his adult life was publicly humiliated just 24 hours after World Mental Health Day.
“The fact that it was a high-profile footballer is irrelevant. The basic human element in what Paul Gascoigne has been subjected to over the past week is appalling. The timing of the decision to withdraw Gascoigne’s nomination into the Hall of Fame actually made me think: ‘Is this some kind of sick joke?’”
The decision was said to be down to “concerns over Gasciogne’s health”. The statement suggested that after talks with the committee members they opted to withdraw his nomination after “ongoing enquiries”.
The ex-player’s association with incidents of domestic abuse, racist language and sectarianism were said to be behind the withdrawal.
The SFA are said to be powerless to prevent Gascoigne’s induction on Sunday, October 21 at Hampden Park but after the issue was raised at boardroom level some of the members can’t endorse the Rangers legend.
Commons, who made 227 appearances in all competitions for Celtic between 2011 and 2017, believes Gascoigne has been hung out to dry at the worst possible time and deserved better treatment.
The 35-year-old isn’t the only one in the footballing world to be up in arms about the decision either. The withdrawal has been met with a lot of criticism, including from Gascoigne himself.
Stats from Transfermarkt.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
