Eni Aluko denies attacking Ian Wright and bemoans ‘clickbait'
Eni Aluko has denied 'attacking' Ian Wright more than 24 hours after claiming in an interview he is 'dominating' punditry in women's football.
Aluko, the former England international, has faced a fierce backlash after criticising the number of roles Wright occupies within the women's game during an interview on Woman's Hour.
Speaking on Wednesday, Aluko said that she had 'worked with Ian a long time' and said he was a 'brilliant broadcaster', but added: 'He's aware of just how much he's doing in the women's game, I think he should be aware of that.'
As a result of Aluko's claims, the BBC said it had felt compelled to contact Wright's agent for a legal response.
Aluko posted a message on Instagram on Thursday in an attempt to clarify her comments.
'I'm sharing this full episode here again so people can actually listen to everything I said with full context,' she said, alongside a 78-second clip of the interview and a link to the full version on the BBC website.
'Contrary to clickbait media headlines no one was 'attacked' or 'accused' during this interview. There are lots of examples of men in women's sport. Ian Wright is one. And as I said in the interview – Ian Wright is brilliant.'
Aluko had earlier posted a cryptic message on Instagram in response to the backlash. Sharing a now-deleted post, her story referenced actor Chadwick Boseman taking a pay cut for his role in the film 21 Bridges in order for co-star Sienna Miller to receive equal pay. Aluko added a bullseye emoji, before removing the story.
Wright has long been involved in women's football, and last year the former England and Arsenal striker launched his own podcast alongside Steph Houghton talking specifically about the female game, as well as working alongside Kelly Cates at the BBC.
'Limited spaces available'
When talking about Wright's position, Aluko – the former Chelsea forward – told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour: '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, as I said, 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 been a strong advocate of the women's game and anchored the Women's Euro 2025 draw in Switzerland last December. In 2021, he spoke of being 'embarrassed' about abuse faced by female pundits, including Alex Scott and Karen Carney, insisting they 'deserve' their roles.
When asked if she believes it is wrong that Wright is such a key figure in the women's game, Aluko, 38, said: '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's comments are unlikely to have gone down well with ITV, who have previously employed her alongside Wright for coverage of the Lionesses. Reports have suggested that her comments may have put any future punditry role with the broadcaster at risk. The channel publicly supported Aluko over Joey Barton's posts about her and Lucy Ward.
ITV has been contacted for a response.
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