IT always makes my heart sink when the issue of racism is dragged into a debate where it is not needed.

Nobody is doubting that football still has a problem with racism and there have been plenty of high profile cases in recent times to back that up.

Which is why Sol Campbell's comments that he was overlooked for the England captaincy because of the colour of his skin are particularly distasteful.

For Campbell to play the race card smacks more of bitterness rather than any opinion based on fact.

Campbell, the former Tottenham captain, argues that he would have been Three Lions skipper for more than a decade had he been white.

Frankly, that is just arrogant.

During Campbell's career, Tony Adams, Alan Shearer, David Beckham and John Terry were the mainstay of the armband.

Paul Ince, who became the first black player to captain England in 1993, did so during Campbell's playing days.

All icons of the modern game and none came close to the 10-year tenure Campbell claims he would have enjoyed.

Somewhere in his comments, Campbell has a point when it comes to the wider issue of racism in the game but he has chosen a bad way of making it - in a book he wants to sell.

He doesn't do himself any favours by pointing the finger at the FA with the sweeping statement: "I don't think it will change because they don't want it to and probably the majority of fans don't want it either."

Campbell was a fine player, one of the best centre-halves of his generation, but he is in danger of tarnishing that image.