An accidental clash with Teemu Tainio – which left the midfielder needing two stitches in a head wound after being caught by Campbell’s arm as they challenged for a high ball – only served to increase the barracking.

Then as the England centre-back left the field, an angry fan took his protests too far with a viscous verbal attack on the former Spurs player.

Tottenham have identified the person responsible for the incident, which Campbell was happy to leave in the club’s hands after being consulted by the police and other officials.

Campbell, though, admits although such unsavoury incidents have perhaps become more expected, they are never something an individual learns to ignore.

“You can’t get used to it. People think you do, but you don’t, of course not,” he said.

“You just want to play football.

“You can deal with people shouting or whatever when it’s at the whole team, but when the spotlight is on one person, all you can do is be better prepared for it.”

Campbell now hopes the matter will be dealt with internally by Tottenham.

“It was the usual stuff, people just shouting, talking rubbish, swearing, you know,” he said. “I just looked at him and laughed really.

“Now hopefully they will take it, deal with it and they’ve promised me they will ban him for life.”

Tottenham boss Martin Jol maintained he was not sure whether the clash with Tainio was deliberate or not, but Campbell insists there is no case to answer.

Speaking in the Arsenal matchday programme, he commented: “I think now people have seen the incident, they realise there is nothing to say.

“I know in the heat of the moment people say ‘elbow, elbow’, it’s the first reaction.

“But now having seen the replay, people will find it hard to find anything wrong with it.

“Of course their manager is going to say it’s a foul, that’s normal, but when you look at it, you see my eyes are firmly fixed on the ball, and it’s the same way I go for any ball.

“Also the contact happened when I was on the way down, not on my way up.

“I was looking straight at the ball and headed it away. Case closed.”

Last night’s 3-0 victory over Sparta Prague at Highbury saw the Gunners qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League with two group games still to play.

Campbell, however, had insisted even if Arsenal were to beat the Czechs and go through, there would be no slacking off for the final ties against FC Thun and Aja.

“We can’t take our foot off the pedal,” he said. “We need to keep on going and build the momentum.”