Tottenham rally behind ailing Gascoigne

[TheGift]

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur said on Friday that they are fully supporting former midfielder Paul Gascoigne who was sectioned under the Mental Health Act this week.

The 41-year-old, who won more than 50 caps for England, was detained for up to six months on Tuesday after a series of alcohol and mental health problems.

Gary Mabbutt, a team-mate of Gascoigne’s while he was at Spurs between 1988-1991 said “Gazza”, as he is known to football fans around the world, will now hopefully receive the care he needs to recover.

The English Premier League club said they are working in unison with the Professional Footballers’ Association, the Football Association and former footballing friends.

“Since Paul was first sectioned in February a number of people came together quietly,” Mabbutt told Tottenham’s Web site (To Dare is to do!).

“We were able to get treatment for Paul at the Priory and other clinics, but the problem was that when he was sober he would discharge himself only to relapse again. He was on the road to self-destruction.

“The Club has been kept very much up to date with everything and I have liaised with them on a daily basis. It has been a case of us all striving to help Paul through this difficult period of time.”

SEVERAL DISORDERS

Mabbutt said Gascoigne, who left Tottenham to join Lazio and had subsequent spells with Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and also played in China, said his old team mate’s problems are not solely connected to alcohol.

“He suffers from several disorders, including manic depression, that add to a pretty nasty cocktail of things going on in his head,” Mabbutt said.

“The good thing now is that treatment can be administered on a sustained basis to deal with his addictions and other problems.” One of the most gifted midfielders the country has ever produced, Gascoigne’s health problems have shocked football fans who took him to their hearts during the 1990 World Cup finals when he famously shed tears during the semi-final against Germany.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy echoed the sentiments of many in the game.

“The fact that Paul is now sectioned offers him a real chance of recovery and I am sure I speak for many in saying we wish him well,” Levy said.

Gascoigne, who had emergency surgery on a stomach ulcer a year ago, was first sectioned in February this year and again last weekend when he was seen in a distressed state in public.

Tottenham rally behind ailing Gascoigne - World Soccer - Yahoo! Sports