Campbell questions if Spurs fans' continued hatred of him is driven by his SKIN

Arsenal legend Sol Campbell has hinted that Tottenham fans continue to hate him due to his skin colour.

Campbell, 50, made the switch between the north London clubs in 2001 under the Bosman ruling after his Tottenham contract expired in what was one of the most shocking transfers in football.

The central defender, who had come through the ranks at Spurs and was captain, 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 subjected him to a torrent of abuse.

Spurs supporters have never truly forgotten the manner in which Campbell left and now, the 50-year-old, who is one of very few players to have made the switch, questioned if there was an ulterior motive behind the abuse he receives.

'They know not what they do,' he said during an interview with AFTV. 'Because if you're (Tottenham fans) still hanging up on that, you see what happens.

'(You've got a) new stadium, new training ground, everything's amazing going forward and you're still harping on about me. Like, what's going on here?

'Is it a colour thing, is it a colour thing? Is there a colour thing about it? Is there an an underbelly colour thing that keeps you (Tottenham fans) going?

'Because there are a lot of other players who have done this type of move, similar moves, you say to yourself is it a colour thing or is it a confusion?'

Campbell continued: 'If it's a black person or Indian person saying it, are you confused? Or is it a white guy saying it?

'What's going on, what's hanging on and allowing you to keep going for something that happened 25 years ago when I was a young man?'

Campbell has previously apologised to Tottenham fans for the nature of the move, but admitted he had no regrets at the switch after a successful first spell at Arsenal.

And, when pressed on this again, Campbell added: 'Football wise, I don't regret it. When you're young as a kid I wanted to win, that's the thing.

'As a mature thing, that's separate again because you're looking back. As a young guy I want to win, I'm thinking I've got a limited time to win something.

'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's comments come after he reignitied 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 advert for Google's Pixel phones, Campbell, who could be seen taking off a white jumper 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 changes allegiances. Take it from me, big moves pay off.

'Sure, people will have opinions but who cares what people think. Of course you can stay with them another year but is anything really going to change?

'Doesn't look like it to me. So if you're thinking about transferring this 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 receiving interest from across Europe before making the switch to Highbury.

Arsenal had kept the deal under wraps, with the reporters present at his unveiling having expected to see goalkeeper Richard Wright announced from Everton, before Campbell emerged for the press conference.

Campbell said he had been subjected to an 'inferno of hatred' on his first return to White Hart Lane as an Arsenal player in 2001.

Campbell later admitted the continuing abuse, long after his retirement from playing in 2011, has impacted him.

'We are talking about nearly a quarter of a century [since the transfer],' he said in a previous interview. 'Where are we going as human beings if someone cannot move on?

'I don't think people realise how hurtful the hate and vitriol is to me. I get the situation but it's been such a long time.'

Campbell, who played 315 times for Spurs, went onto win five trophies during five seasons with the Gunners, before he later returned for a second spell at the twilight of his career.