Chambers to discuss book row with Van Commenee

DWAIN Chambers has defended the timing of his autobiography as he starts his campaign at the European Indoor Championships.

UNDER PRESSURE: Dwain Chambers is hoping to go one better than his silver at last year's World Indoor Championships (Getty Images)

Chambers has struggled to be reaccepted into the sport since returning from his two-year drugs ban in 2003.

He is favourite to win 60m gold in Turin but he has done little to help his already fragile relations with UK Athletics and his team-mates, with the well-timed publication of his well-serialised Race Against Me planned for next Monday.

In an interview with the BBC, Chambers said: "There was no better time to bring it out than after my success in the European Championships, and while the situation is still ripe in terms of the amount of attention it created.

"As far as I'm concerned once this European Indoors is past and the book comes out Monday morning, that's it.

"Any unanswered questions that anybody has they'll be able to read and understand it Monday morning and as far as I'm concerned, that chapter of my life is closed."

Meanwhile, new British head coach Charles van Commenee admits he could certainly have done without Chambers overshadowing his first major championships in charge.

Unlike predecessor Dave Collins, he has been supportive of the sprinter since his appointment but claims he will meet Chambers after his competition is over to discuss the matter and whether he might be available for relay selection this summer.

NEW BROOM: UK Athletics new head coach Charles van Commenee will meet with Chambers after his competition is over (Getty Images)

"I will sit down and talk about issues like respect, acceptance, maybe insinuations, that is not only triggered by the book but what happened over the last few years," he said.

"We may have to go into issues like how you cope with team-mates, respect and all these things. They will be discussed and a decision will be made.

"We also have to respect the sport."

Asked about the timing of publication, he added: "Obviously the sport could do without it."

Meanwhile, van Commenee has urged a British team depleted by injuries to use this weekend's championships as a springboard to greater success at London 2012.

And he highlighted both Seb Coe and Linford Christie, who won their first major titles at the European Indoors.

"The European Indoor Championships are not the most important championships of all, but they are certainly one of significance," he said.

"We are only seven championships away from the big one in London.

"We do have a good history in this event, especially two years ago when we won ten medals in Birmingham which was exceptional.

"Now it is a year after the Olympics and it's always a bit different to a year before the Games.

"But we take this very seriously. We are aiming at five to six medals but of course we had a few drop-outs in the last week that doesn't help."

JAMES TONEY in Turin