Despite his distinguished playing career, Sol Campbell has remained an extremely polarising figure amongst fans.
The East London born defender was labeled Judas because of his free transfer from Tottenham to Arsenal in 2001.
Since then, Sol has divided fans with his outspoken opinions on racism, his political ambitions, and his perceived self-confidence. Sol has always maintained that he doesn’t get a fair crack at management due to skin colour.
Currently, he is covering the FIFA World Cup for Sky Sports and made headlines for what he said while discussing England’s possible route in the ongoing tournament.
What did Sol say?
England entered World Cup as one of the favourites and are predicted to secure top spot Group L.
On Monday, Campbell and his colleagues in the Sky Sports studio were analysing England’s predicted path in the knockout stages.
As things stand right now, the Three Lions are projected to face off against Portugal in the Round of 32, before locking horns with Mexico in the round of 16, granted they get past Cristiano Ronaldo and company.
Pointing at the potential tie against Mexico, Campbell controversially asked if the game against El Tri will be an away game for England.
This has gone on to become a huge talking point on social media, with many fans cracking jokes at the expense of the former Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal defender, seeing as the World Cup is being held in US, Canada and Mexico.
Some called him “dumb”, while another pointed out how he seemingly had a knack for stating the obvious.
Some reactions were more much more strongly worded, with one fan labelling him the “dumbest pr*ck ever”. Another referred to him as a “clueless tw*t”.
Many also shared references to another one of his famous clips from the studio, which went viral during the 2018 World Cup, when Campbell appeared to predict that France would beat the winner of a match between Brazil and Belgium.
Why the mockery is wrong this time around
As it turns out Sol’s question wasn’t as outlandish as it seemed at first glance, keeping in mind the fact that Mexico are one of the co-hosts of this year’s World Cup.
Every game Mexico have featured in so far has been in front of home support, playing the tournament opener against South Africa in Mexico City, before traveling to Zapopan to take on South Korea.
The impact of this has been obvious, as they have played well and secured top spot in Group A by winning both games with zero goals conceded.
Therefore, it appears Sol Campbell was actually asking if the potential England – Mexico game would take place on Mexican soil, or a more neutral venue in the United States or Canada as the host countries aren’t guaranteed to be at home in the Knock Out stages.
The venues in which England will play at the Group Stages will all be neutral as none of the host countries are in their group. But if they come up against Mexico, in Mexico, they automatically become the away side.
So, while, Sol Campbell does have a history of being a very divisive personality, he wasn’t in the wrong for asking if England would potentially be playing an away game against Mexico, maybe he could have worded it better.
