Paul Gascoigne pleads guilty to making racist comment

Former England international Paul Gascoigne has pleaded guilty to racially aggravated abuse.

The 49-year-old appeared in Dudley Magistrates' Court after making a comment during An Evening With Gazza show in Wolverhampton last November. Gascoigne admitted to using "threatening or abusive words or behaviour", changing his plea to guilty before the first witness was called. Following this, District Judge Graham Wilkinson told the court that Gascoigne had admitted "the sort of insidious racism" that needed to be challenged. According to a report in the Express and Star, the charge related to a remark Gascoigne made about a black security guard who had been standing in an unlit corner of the stage. Gascoigne had allegedly said he could not tell "if he was smiling or not". Gascoigne will now face a financial penalty after his admission of guilt. Earlier in the day, Gascoigne had stopped to sign autographs as he made his way into court. Gascoigne, whose playing career included spells with Newcastle United, Tottenham, Lazio and Rangers, played his last match in 2004.