Kick It Out chair Lord Ouseley today claimed Raheem Sterling has become an “easy target” for criticism but admitted the England forward’s gun tattoo is “weird”.

Sterling has been the subject of intense scrutiny after a picture of an assault rifle inked on his right leg appeared in a national newspaper yesterday morning.

The 23-year-old insisted it is an incomplete drawing which serves as a homage to his father, who was shot dead in Jamaica when Sterling was just a child, but calls have continued today for him to apologise and even step down from Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

And Ouseley, whose group are at the forefront of tackling issues of discrimination within football, told BBC Radio 5live: “Raheem Sterling has always been seen by sections of the media as an easy target.

“When it comes to World Cups and tournaments [there always has to be] a controversial story or character.

“We’ve seen it in the past with people like Paul Gascoigne and you can say these people are specifically targeted.

"Whether you could say he’s been targeted because he’s black, it is a very difficult thing to prove.

“But Raheem has attracted negative publicity because I think he has been targeted by those who see him as vulnerable.

“You can understand the controversy because the issue of gun and knife crime is very topical.

“This appeared without proper explanation about Raheem’s own feelings about guns and the death in his family.

"It just hasn’t been covered well. From a personal point of view, I think [the tattoo] is weird.

“I personally find it inexplicable. That’s me.”