Latest news with #EniAluko
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Eni Aluko snubbed by ITV for first Lionesses match since Ian Wright scandal
Eni Aluko has been snubbed by ITV bosses for the Lionesses' first match since she accused Ian Wright of 'blocking' opportunities for female pundits in the women's game. Aluko appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour in April and was met with a torrent of criticism when she pointed the finger at fellow former footballer turned pundit Wright, claiming he 'should be aware' of the space he occupies in women's football coverage as a man. Many immediately leapt to the defence of Wright, with the former Arsenal striker recognised for his long-term staunch advocacy of the women's game. Aluko went on to apologise for her comments, which Wright said he 'couldn't accept'. She has since pulled out of a co-presenting role for the Women's Football Awards, which took place on May 1, and will now not be part of ITV's coverage for England's game with Portugal on Friday, with Anita Asanta and former Spain midfielder Vicky Losada opted as pundits by the broadcaster. Aluko is currently embroiled in a libel case against ex-Newcastle and Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton, but saw attention deflected away from that when she spoke misguidedly against her colleague. '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,' Aluko said. '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.' She later admitted her wrongdoing but did not receive the reaction she was hoping for from Wright, who said on Insatgram: '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.' Wright is hailed in the women's football community, founding and donating to the Ian Wright Coaching Fund to increase the number of female coaches in grassroots football; paying for Stoke City player Kayleigh McDonald's rehab from an ACL injury, as revealed by The Telegraph; and advocating for girls to have equal opportunities with boys to play football in school. He has also only covered exactly one WSL game in the league's history, and 11 Lionesses games in the past two seasons.
Scottish Sun
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
The horror Champions League draw each Premier League club faces with Barcelona statistically easiest pot 1 side
SIX Premier League clubs face a Champions League horror draw with each team guaranteed TWO european giants This season three out of four English clubs automatically qualified for the Round of 16 stage - Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa. 7 Real Madrid will be the team to avoid for Premier League clubs Credit: Getty 7 Serie A champions Napoli are in Pot 3 Credit: Getty 7 Tottenham and Newcastle are in Pot 3 and Pot 4 respectively Credit: Getty 7 Chelsea will be back in the Champions League next season Credit: Getty But Prem clubs may find things more difficult next season, depending on the draw. Three English teams are in Pot 1, which is based on their Uefa coefficient score - Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. They will each have to play two fellow Pot 1 teams, and cannot face a club from the same country. The toughest league phase opponents from Pot 1 would perhaps be Real Madrid and Barcelona, though Paris Saint-Germain made this year's final. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Luk away Eni Aluko snubbed by ITV for Lionesses' first match since Ian Wright row According to the coefficient rankings, the two best non-English teams in Pot 1 are Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Every team in the league phase must face TWO teams from each pot - so any one of Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea or Spurs could face a trip to the Bernabeu and to Munich. Pot 2 also throws up some potentially tricky opponents for Prem teams; clubs with European pedigree such as Juventus and Atletico Madrid could be drawn or those with more recent success, such as Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta. While Pot 3 includes recently crowned Serie A champions Napoli, along with Sporting and PSV Eindhoven. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS 7 7 Pot 4, which Newcastle belong to as the sole English club, could throw up Turkish champions Galatasary and the kings of Scots, Celtic, although they will need to progress through the qualifying stages. Non-English clubs could face an even tougher draw however, playing two Prem teams each because of the rules preventing sides playing their fellow compatriots. Inside Chelsea's dressing room celebrations after Champions League spot secured
Telegraph
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Eni Aluko snubbed by ITV after Ian Wright scandal
Eni Aluko has been snubbed by ITV for the Lionesses' first match since she accused Ian Wright of 'blocking' opportunities for female pundits. Aluko will not be part of the broadcaster's coverage for England's game with Portugal on Friday, with Anita Asante and ex-Spain midfielder Vicky Losada having been preferred as pundits. Wright will also not be part of the coverage for the game against Portugal or the subsequent match in Spain next Tuesday, but it is understood that is because he is on holiday. Aluko accused the Arsenal legend of 'blocking opportunities for women' in women's football broadcasting and dominating punditry during an appearance on 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,' Aluko said. '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.' The former Lionesses player later apologised to Wright, though he said he could not accept her apology. '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,' Wright said on Instagram. 'I've seen the apology on social media, but I can't accept it. But I also want to move on.' It is understood ITV regularly rotates its pundits for international games and that is no different for this particular match. It is unclear whether Aluko will be part of ITV's team for the women's Euros taking place in Switzerland this summer. Wright received overwhelming support following Aluko's comments, with several England players liking his post. In the video, Wright also thanked Kayleigh McDonald, the former Stoke City player who told Telegraph Sport how he had been paying for her rehab, which costs £1,700 per month, for an anterior cruciate ligament injury since the start of the year. 'I wouldn't be in a great place mentally if it wasn't for Ian Wright,' McDonald said. '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.' Aluko's apology to Wright came after she denied 'attacking' him. 'Ian Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women's game has been significant,' she wrote on Instagram. '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.'
Glasgow Times
16-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Azeem Rafiq among sportspeople highlighting impact of online abuse in new report
Contributors to a new Ofcom report say online abuse has had profound offline consequences on them – prompting one individual to barricade themselves indoors, while others reported suffering from disordered eating and feelings of helplessness. Others said they self-censored online or while broadcasting for fear of being targeted, while some shied away from moving into on-screen roles at all because they feared doing so would increase their risk of being targeted. Researchers for Ofcom spoke to seven individuals and conducted nine discussion groups with support from anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out. Participants included sportspeople, on-screen commentators, and professionals working in sport and broadcasting. The respondents felt online abuse was becoming more common, sophisticated and normalised. They also highlighted how they felt the problem was rapidly evolving, with abusers able to evade filters with different phrases, terms and emojis. One contributor to the report said: 'I didn't leave my house for a week because of the impact of online abuse, the sort of wave (of intensity) and the amount of people that are abusing you. 'And then the media writes about it and then it becomes this sort of overwhelming feeling of just dread that so many people are saying such horrible things about you, without you actually having done anything.' Respondents felt abusers were becoming bolder because of a perceived lack of consequences for accounts that post it, and were being incentivised to post hateful and abusive content by the business models of online services that monetise engagement. Among the named contributors to the report were former cricketer Azeem Rafiq, former footballer Eni Aluko and former rugby union referee Wayne Barnes. Rafiq said nothing could have prepared him for the volume of abuse he received when he spoke out about the racism he suffered while playing at Yorkshire. Eni Aluko is one of the named contributors to the report (John Stillwell/PA) Rafiq, who moved from the UK to Dubai because of the abuse, said in the report: 'The impact of this experience on me as a human being and on my mental health has damaged my life to such an extent, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to quantify it.' Ofcom said the report was part of a broader programme of work to better understand the lived experience of groups and individuals who have been particularly impacted by online harm. In March, duties came into force under the Online Safety Act that mean platforms must assess the risk of UK users encountering illegal material and use appropriate measures to protect them from it. Ofcom is currently assessing platforms' compliance with these new duties, and will take action if they fail to comply with them. Some platforms will also be subject to additional duties under the Act, such as providing adult users with features that enable them to reduce the likelihood of encountering certain types of legal but harmful content. Participants in this report said they wanted platforms to enforce their terms of service and reduce online hate and abuse for all users, not just for those who choose to use specific tools. They said existing tools, such as blocking or muting, do not go far enough to help protect them and their families and friends against online hate and abuse. Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari said: 'The impact of online abuse is undeniable, and the rise in discriminatory social media reports to Kick It Out last season shows it's getting worse. 'Time and again, players and others across the game tell us about the mental toll this abuse takes, and we welcome this new report, which highlights just how deep that impact runs. Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari has welcomed the Ofcom report (Bradley Collyer/PA) 'This isn't about a few hateful comments. It's about a culture of abuse that has become normalised. It's about a social media ecosystem that too often enables and amplifies abuse. 'And it's about victims who feel imprisoned by that culture of abuse.' Jessica Zucker, Ofcom's online safety director, said: 'The UK's new online safety laws mean tech firms now have to start protecting people on their sites and apps from illegal forms of abuse. And when all the rules are fully in force, some of the largest social media platforms will have to give users more control over what they see online. 'People with lived experience of harm online are at the heart of the rules we make and the action we take. We'll be pushing companies hard to make their services safer by design, and holding them to account if they don't.'
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Sport stars fear 'vile' abuse could cost a life
Content warning: This article contains discussion around suicide and mental health. Sportspeople and pundits have told a regulator that "vile" online abuse has become so severe they fear it could lead to someone taking their own cricketer Azeem Rafiq, broadcaster and ex-England footballer Eni Aluko and ex-rugby referee Wayne Barnes were among those interviewed by the government's online safety regulator, with the football anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out, Ofcom spoke to figures from across sport and broadcasting to get an understanding of their experiences to help with tackling the heard that one person barricaded themselves indoors following abuse, and others reported suffering from disordered eating. Fear, anxiety and paranoia had all resulted from suffering abuse, Ofcom said."Participants raised concerns that it might only be a matter of time before online hate and abuse becomes a major factor contributing to the suicide of someone in the sector," Ofcom said in its report documenting the body spoke to seven selected individuals and held nine discussion groups to examine the impacts of the interviewed said online platforms needed to offer more protection and felt current tools - such as the ability to block or mute accounts - were not report - Online Hate and Abuse in Sport - was released on Friday. What is Ofcom doing about it? Some of the abuse encountered by people in sport is illegal under UK law. The Online Safety Act dictates that social media platforms have a duty to protect says it is working on a code of practice to help the companies meet their added projects such as this research would help to shape its work with the of the abuse detailed is not considered illegal, but Ofcom says it will be "pushing" the companies to make their platforms safer."So many people who work in sport are subjected to vile abuse online. This is having a devastating impact on them, their livelihoods and their families, and no-one should have to put up with it," said Jessica Zucker, online safety director at Ofcom."The UK's new online safety laws mean tech firms now have to start protecting people on their sites and apps from illegal forms of abuse."And when all the rules are fully in force, some of the largest social media platforms will have to give users more control over what they see online."We'll be pushing companies hard to make their services safer by design, and holding them to account if they don't."The Online Safety Act became law in October 2023, though some elements - for example, a series of child safety rules - have not yet come into force. 'I was very, very scared, I didn't leave my house for a week' Those interviewed told researchers about the scale of abuse they suffered and its were chosen because they had experience of abuse. Former Yorkshire cricketer Rafiq encountered abuse and threats after documenting the racism he suffered in the game."The abuse left me feeling incredibly paranoid, at times, and often made me question my sanity," Rafiq says in the report."The impact of this experience on me as a human being and on my mental health has damaged my life to such an extent, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to quantify it."Aluko, who last month won the first stage of a libel case after being targeted on social media by ex-footballer Joey Barton, is not quoted in the report but did contribute to rugby referee Barnes detailed the abuse aimed at his wife, which he says "shocked" him. Much of it originated after contentious decisions taken in games, he said."I wasn't active on social media. She then became the subject of the abuse, with people attacking her personally via direct messages to her social media accounts and work email address, or by posting fake and offensive friend requests. The abuse went on for some time," Barnes said "misogynistic language" and even "threats of sexual violence" were aimed at report documents how "a female TV sports presenter will get horrendous amounts of abuse, often just about what she's wearing".Another contributor said: "I didn't leave my house for a week because of the impact of online abuse, the sort of wave [of intensity] and the amount of people that are abusing you."Researchers were told that the fear of receiving more abuse led to some of the contributors turning down Bhandari, chair of the anti-discrimination body Kick It Out, said: "The impact of online abuse is undeniable, and the rise in discriminatory social media reports to Kick It Out last season shows it's getting worse."He said the Ofcom report showed "a culture of abuse that has become normalised"."It's vital that we see social media companies step up with meaningful tools that give users real control over what they see and experience online," he you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.
