LONDON: Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne has been charged with committing sexual assault on board a train, police said on Monday.

Gascoigne, 51, a former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United player, widely known as Gazza, was arrested at Durham train station in northern England in August and released while police investigated the incident.

"Paul Gascoigne, of Leicester, was charged via postal requisition with one count of sexual assault by touching," British Transport Police said in a statement.

Gascoigne is due to appear in court on Dec. 11. His management company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gascoigne, who has spent several spells in rehab battling alcohol and drug addiction, played 57 times for England between 1988 and 1998.

He made international headlines during the 1990 World Cup in Italy, bursting into tears after receiving a yellow card in England's semi-final against West Germany which would have seen him suspended for the final if England had qualified.