Gascoigne undergoes emergency stomach surgery

Former England soccer player Paul Gascoigne has undergone emergency surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer, British media reported yesterday.

Gascoigne's agent, Jane Morgan, said in a statement on the BBC that he was admitted to hospital on Sunday with "severe stomach pains".

"He underwent emergency surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer and will remain in hospital for a few days," the statement said. "He's recovering well from the surgery."

Gascoigne, who has a well-documented history of alcohol-related problems, became ill while he was celebrating his 40th birthday with family and friends in his home town of Gateshead, north east England.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Victoria Infirmary in nearby Newcastle, where Gascoigne was reported to have had the surgery, declined to comment.

Gascoigne played 57 times for England but has had a troubled life since his football career went into decline in the late 1990s.