Ex-England international Sol Campbell has spoken of his shock at Rio Ferdinand's absence from England manager Roy Hodgson's Euro 2012 squad.

Hodgson revealed his 23-man squad for the competition to be held in Poland and Ukraine on Wednesday afternoon and Ferdinand was, by far, the most notable name missing from the team list.

The inclusion of John Terry has led to suggestions that the squad was not big enough for both of them, as the Chelsea captain is currently involved in a pending trial after allegedly racially abusing Ferdinand's brother, Anton, in a Barclays Premier League match last October.

And Campbell believes the tension between the two could have played a part in Hodgson's selection as he does not see how Ferdinand could have been left out based on his form this season for Manchester United.

"I don't know the conversation Roy Hodgson has had with John Terry or Rio Ferdinand," the former Arsenal star told CNN. "That's probably going to be keep quiet, who knows.

"But I think [the racism issue] did play a small or a big part in it. You can't say it's for footballing reasons, because he's experienced and he's done fantastically for his club, especially in the last three months.

"For me, it's really surprising. I can't believe it. You can't really talk about him not playing any games. He's played the last 10, 12 games for Manchester United and has been excellent, he's as fit as a fiddle.

"You need all our experienced players in a tournament like this."

Campbell did however agree with Hodgson's decision to name Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard as his new captain.

"I'm surprised Stevie didn't become captain sooner," he added.

"He's always seemed to be overlooked, but he's an excellent captain for his club and I'm sure he'd be excellent for England."

Campbell earned 73 caps for the Three Lions and played at three World Cups with Ferdinand, most notably in 2002 when they were Sven-Goran Eriksson's first-choice centre-back partnership.