Arsenal legend Sol Campbell has hinted that Tottenham fans continue to hate him because of the color of his skin.
Campbell, 50, moved between the north London clubs under the Bosman ruling in 2001 after his contract with Tottenham expired in what was one of the most shock transfers in football.
The centre-back, who came through the ranks and was captain at Spurs, had publicly claimed he would stay before making the move to the Gunners, leading to him being branded a ‘Judas’ by fans of his former club who subdued him. to a flood of abuse.
Spurs supporters have never really forgotten the way Campbell left and now the 50-year-old, who is one of the few players to make the move, is wondering if there was an ulterior motive behind the abuse he receives.
“They don’t know what they’re doing,” he said during an interview with AFTV. ‘Because if you (Tottenham fans) still hold on to that, you’ll see what happens.
‘(You have a) new stadium, a new training ground, everything is great in the future and you keep complaining about me. What’s going on here?
Sol Campbell wonders whether Tottenham fans’ hatred of him stems from his skin colour
Campbell infamously made the move from Spurs to Arsenal in a hugely controversial transfer
The centre-back had claimed he would stay at Tottenham before making the shock move
‘Is it a color thing, is it a color thing? Is there something about color? Is there something about an underbelly color that keeps you (Tottenham fans) going?
“Because there are a lot of other players who have done these kinds of moves, similar moves, you ask yourself, is it a color thing or is it confusion?”
Campbell continued, “If it’s a black person or an Indian person saying it, are you confused? Or is it a white person saying that?
“What’s going on, what’s going on that allows you to continue something that happened 25 years ago when I was a young man?”
Campbell has previously apologized to Tottenham fans for the nature of the move, but admitted he had no regrets about the move after a successful first spell at Arsenal.
And when pressed again on this, Campbell added, “Football-wise, I don’t regret it. As a kid I wanted to win, that’s the point.
‘As an adult it is special because you look back. As a young guy I want to win, I think I have a limited time to win anything.
‘I’m going to do the same thing again. At least I can look back and say, ‘look at the team I played with.’
Campbell said he was subjected to an ‘inferno of hate’ upon his return to White Hart Lane
Campbell hinted that the constant abuse he receives from Spurs fans is due to a ‘colour thing’
Campbell’s comments come after he reignited his feud with Tottenham fans ahead of Wednesday’s north London derby by poking fun at his infamous switch during a recent TV advert.
In an advertisement for Google’s Pixel phonesCampbell, who could be seen ditching a white jersey for a red one in a nod to his transfer, said: “It’s that time of year again. A time when people start to wonder if the grass might be greener.
‘Whether they should switch sides and switch allegiances. Take it from me: big steps pay off.
‘Of course people will have an opinion, but who cares what people think? Of course you can stay with them for another year, but will anything really change?
‘I don’t think so. So if you’re considering switching in January, I say: go for it! It’s not like you’re doing anything outrageous.
“You’re just switching to something much, much better… the Google Pixel!”
Campbell’s free transfer is considered one of the most controversial in football, with the then 26-year-old defender attracting interest from across Europe before making the move to Highbury.
Arsenal had kept the deal secret, with reporters present at his unveiling expecting goalkeeper Richard Wright to be announced by Everton before Campbell emerged for the press conference.
Campbell’s comments came after he poked fun at his infamous switch during a TV ad
In an ad for Google’s Pixel phones, Campbell urged fans to ‘switch allegiances’
Campbell said he was subjected to an ‘inferno of hatred’ when he first returned to White Hart Lane as an Arsenal player in 2001.
Campbell later admitted that the continued abuse affected him long after he stopped playing in 2011.
‘We are talking about almost a quarter of a century [since the transfer]he said in an earlier interview. ‘Where do we go as humans when someone cannot continue?
“I don’t think people realize how hurtful the hate and vitriol is to me. I understand the situation, but it’s been so long.’
Campbell, who made 315 appearances for Spurs, won five trophies during five seasons with the Gunners before later returning for a second spell late in his career.