Eni Aluko blasts Ian Wright for 'dominating' opportunities for female pundits during women's football matches

Aluko, 38, spoke about her gripe with Wright’s punditry work on women’s matches during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. The former England and Chelsea striker told the show: “I’ve worked with Ian a long time and, you know, I think he’s a brilliant broadcaster, but I think he’s aware of just how much he’s doing in the women’s game. I think he should be aware of that.

“The fact of the matter is, there is a limited amount of spaces available. If we had a situation where there was an equal opportunity in the men’s game for broadcasters and coaches that there is in the women’s game, it’s a free for all.

“But that’s not the case. I can’t dominate the men’s game in the way that, you know, you used Ian as an example.”

Wright, 61, has served as a pundit on coverage of major tournaments such as the Women’s Euros and Women’s World Cup. In 2024, he launched the podcast Crossways focused on the subject alongside ex-Lioness Steph Houghton.

The Telegraph also reports that the ex-Arsenal striker has been financially supporting the ACL recovery of Stroke City star Kayleigh McDonald after she was told that the club would not be paying for her rehabilitation. She told the newspaper: “I wouldn’t be in a great place mentally if it wasn’t for Ian Wright. I would probably still be waiting for my surgery if it wasn’t for him. For him to do this for me, someone he didn’t know, I think there should be more of a spotlight shone on him.”

When questioned if she thought it was wrong for Wright to accept punditry positions for women’s matches, Aluko told the BBC radio show: “I don’t know about wrong, but I think we need to be conscious and we need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting in the women’s game.

“It’s still new, it’s still growing. There’s a finite amount of opportunities and I think that men need to be aware of that. Men need to be aware that, you know, you’re in a growing sport, a growing sport for women, and we haven’t always had these opportunities, and so it’s about the awareness and supporting other women through that pathway.”

Aluko, alongside other female pundits including Alex Scott and Karen Carney, have been on the receiving end of abuse for their work on football coverage in the past. Wright has often come to the defence of his female co-stars, saying that he was “embarrassed” by the abuse targeted towards them.

Aluko recently spoke out about how her legal issues with ex-footballer Joey Barton has damaged her career. The ex-Lioness is currently suing Barton after he posted about the star on X (formerly Twitter) last year.

She said: “This happens in lots of industries - when women stand up for themselves, their career takes a hit. I've been doing broadcasting for 11 years. I'm not new to it. In the last 18 months I've done the least TV I've ever done.

“That's just a fact. That's not a feeling, that's not an opinion. That's a fact. I think people can draw their own conclusions from that.

“There is a double standard where there is still a limited amount of opportunities for women, female broadcasters, both in the men's and the women's game. We're still competing for two or three seats maximum, which includes the presenters.

“What the Joey Bartons, and some male football fans, want is for women to get off the TV.”