Paul Gascoigne, 38, once one of England's finest soccer players, was released overnight (NZ time) after being questioned by police on suspicion of assaulting a man in the northwestern city of Liverpool.
A police source said Gascoigne had been arrested at about 11.30 pm on Monday night after an alleged
assault on a photographer
Merseyside police confirmed a 38-year old man from Gateshead had been arrested and was quizzed by officers.
He was released on police bail on Tuesday afternoon.
Gascoigne's arrest marks a new low for a man whose soccer talents once wowed fans and led footballing pundits to compare him with other on-pitch giants such as Pele and George Best.
However, over the past few years, Gascoigne -- known as "Gazza" by millions of fans -- increasingly found himself on the front pages of newspapers for his drinking exploits.
The arrest came after non-league club Kettering sacked him as manager, less than two months after he was appointed.
"Following discussions this weekend, it has been decided that Paul Gascoigne is unable to carry out his duties as manager of Kettering Town Football Club," the club said on Tuesday.
Gascoigne admitted on Monday he had drunk alcohol before a recent match, but remained in control.
"So what? I tell you the truth, I had a double brandy before the game," he told Sky Sports News.
"Before, it used to be four bottles of whisky. It's not any more."
Gascoigne's latest difficulties follow a high profile split with his wife and a slide down the soccer scale that took him a long way from the hey days in the 1990s when he first became a household name.
He won 57 England caps and was part of the Tottenham Hotspur team that won the FA Cup in 1991 although he seriously damaged his knee in a wild tackle early in the first half of their 2-1 extra-time win over Nottingham Forest.
This was the first in a series of injury problems, especially during his three years at Italian club Lazio.
He returned to Britain to find success at Rangers in Scotland, where he won the league title, before moving to Middlesbrough and Everton.
He played briefly for China's Gansu Tianma and England's Boston United as player-coach before retiring as a player.
On Gascoigne's personal website he said he was looking to buy Kettering, which was founded in 1872 and attracts crowds of about 1000 people a match.
- REUTERS
Paul Gascoigne, 38, once one of England's finest soccer players, was released overnight (NZ time) after being questioned by police on suspicion of assaulting a man in the northwestern city of Liverpool.
A police source said Gascoigne had been arrested at about 11.30 pm on Monday night after an alleged
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