EXCLUSIVE Eni Aluko's mother reveals her daughter is 'traumatised and upset' by her public fallout with Ian Wright after she accused him of 'blocking' opportunities for women in football
Sileola Aluko exclusively told MailOnline that she is concerned for her daughter's emotional welfare and is doing all she can to keep her 'calm' and support her following the high-profile row between the two football figures.
Ms Aluko said: 'This situation has affected Eni quite a lot and has left her traumatised and upset. I'm doing my best to keep her calm and just be a good mum. I'm constantly in touch with her and even met her for lunch the other day.
'I told her that football is not the world and that you don't become a bad or useless person in one day. It's been tough for her, she has a lot of strong opinions, but she will come through this. She has dealt with a lot of other difficult situations in her life.'
She added: 'The most important thing for me is that I support her and make sure she does not run into any emotional or physical problems and become unwell.'
Aluko's views on Wright were made during an appearance on Radio Four's Women's Hour last Wednesday, in which she said that ITV continuing to employ him to cover the women's game hampered the chances of female pundits coming into the industry.
Aluko, 38 issued an apology to Wright, 61 on Friday, which the Arsenal legend later rejected in a social media post.
Devout Christian Ms Aluko revealed that she prayed with her daughter when she met her recently and also when she speaks to her on the phone each day.
She said: 'I'm a person of faith and have been praying with her to help keep her calm and not be afraid.'
She revealed that Aluko has worked with Ian Wright in the past and 'likes him.'
She added: 'But she wasn't expecting the reaction she got when she made those comments, and they were not intended to cause offence. This situation has also upset me but all I want is for her to be calm and everything will be all right.'
According to insiders, former England international Aluko, who won 105 caps also faces being axed by ITV with bosses angry and bemused at her comments given the broadcaster's form for sending female-heavy teams to cover major international tournaments including the Euros and the World Cup.
But her concerned mother insisted: 'I want to support and help her to let her know that things like this happen, but it should not knock you out.'
Ms Aluko revealed that she had never met Wright but had spoken to him once on the phone when he was working with her daughter and that he 'sounded like a nice man.'
She described herself as an avid football fan who closely follows the fortunes of three teams; Birmingham City, where the family previously lived; Fulham, where her son once played and Chelsea, where Aluko established herself as leading player.
Following Aluko's comments, Wright rejected her apology in a social media post.
He wrote: 'I have to talk about this week and what's going on, I don't want to endlessly be asked about it.
'I've got to say, I'm very disappointed about what Eni has said, she knows how I've helped her, supported her publicly, and I know the previous conversations she's had with me and my management.
'I've seen the apology on social media, but I can't accept it, but I also want to move on.
'For anyone watching this, I really don't need any further social commentary directed on any of this.
'The thing about where the women's game is, it isn't about me - it has to be about the collective.'
Aluko had issued an apology on Instagram last Friday morning, writing: 'lan Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women's game has been significant.
'In my interview with Woman's Hour this week, I was trying to make a broader point about the limited opportunities for women in football - whether that's in coaching, broadcasting or commercial spaces - and the importance of creating more space for women to thrive on and off the pitch.
'But it was wrong for Ian's name to be raised in that conversation, and for that I sincerely apologise. I've known and worked with Ian for many years and have nothing but love and respect for him'.
During her appearance on the Radio Four show, Aluko was asked about the presence of male pundits within the women's game and, specifically, Ian Wright.
Aluko said: '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.'
When asked to clarify if she thinks it is wrong for Wright to be covering women's football, Aluko added: '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.'
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