Latest news with #Women'sFootballAwards
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
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Quick-witted Roy Keane makes brutal three-word joke about Eni Aluko row that leaves Ian Wright in stitches
ROY KEANE'S quick wit left Ian Wright in hysterics as he made a joke about the row with Eni Auko. Wright was the target of comments by the former Lioness over his involvement in women's football. 3 Roy Keane made a quick-witted joke on the Overlap Credit: YouTube 3 He left the whole panel in hysterics Credit: YouTube 3 The joke about the row between Eni Aluko and Ian Wright Credit: Getty Aluko, 38, made the accusation that Wright was "blocking" the pathway for women in football punditry. She has since apologised for her comments, but Wright refused to accept it in an impassioned Instagram video. Keane has been able to put a smile on Wright's face with a quick joke about the situation. He made the quip in the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by SkyBet. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL SKY'S (AT) THE LIMIT Sky Sports star quits role after 23 years amid staff shake-up Jill Scott was explaining that she does not work too much in the women's side of the game. To which razor-sharp Keane quipped: "Because of Ian?" The whole panel burst out in laughter, including Wright, who was in stitches. Keane hilariously remained completely composed, almost as if he was expecting Scott to give him more than just "no" in her answer. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Last week, Aluko stepped down from hosting at the Women's Football Awards following the row. Wright has urged the public to "move on" from the incident. 'Were we not good enough-' - Man Utd legend Roy Keane takes cheeky dig at David Beckham over 50th birthday snub He has been supported by the pair's employer, ITV, as the broadcaster released a strong statement backing the Arsenal legend. Steph Houghton has also shown her support for Wright as she stated his commitment has been "unbelievable." Keane was on good form during the podcast as he also made a cheeky dig at David Beckham. The former Manchester United star insisted that Beckham "forgot" to invite him to his 50th birthday.
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rachel Riley brutally slams Anne Robinson as 'feud' reignited over Countdown comments
Rachel Riley has responded to Anne Robinson's recent comments about their relationship on Channel 4's Countdown, fuelling rumours of a feud between the presenting pair Countdown star Rachel Riley has hit back at Anne Robinson's claim that she had to "shut her up" on the Channel 4 show. The pair worked together for a year on Countdown together, during which time there were rumours of a feud between the stars. In a recent chat with the Telegraph, Anne refuted claims of a rift, but said: "It's just a story. Rachel was a bit talkative when I was interviewing the contestants but once we shut her up it was fine." Now, Rachel has hit back at Anne's comments with a short, blunt rebuttal. Speaking at the Women's Football Awards last week, Rachel told The Sun: "If Anne needs to mention me for publicity then good luck to her." She added: "I have the same opinion of her as most people do. I don't pay any attention to what she says." Anne hosted Countdown between June 2021 and July 2022, with the star previously revealing that she left the show over a pay dispute. She said that despite being offered a pay rise, she did not want to join Channel 4's payroll and so decided to step down from the presenting role. Rachel has opened up about her working relationship with Anne in the past and once made a telling remark about the presenting making people cry. On how the atmosphere was different when Colin Murray replaced Anne in July 2022, she said: "It's very different. Each presenter has their own style, and you don't always gel with everybody that you work with. Well, you're not going to get a sympathetic shoulder to cry on from Anne, but she might make you cry." Anne recently opened up about mortality, with the 80-year-old saying that she thinks about it "quite a lot". She said: "I look at the obituaries saying, oh, golly, they went at 70, they went at 72. But then the other day there was a woman who died at 116. "So what I do is I try to keep fit, and live in the day and be grateful for wonderful grandsons, my daughter and my son in law, although he supports Everton, but you can't have everything… And I love clothes. I keep buying clothes, I don't think, Oh, well, I won't need any soon." She added: "Medically, and in our heads, we've just progressed a great deal. If you look at Jane Fonda, I don't know she must be 83, 84, and she's looking fantastic. It's why, when I had a facelift, I immediately said that I'd had one, because I didn't want people who are my age to think, why don't I look like her with no lines? I've just thrown money at my face. Not sure it's working anymore… But not everyone has those options. I have been very lucky."
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rachel Riley hits out at Anne Robinson for saying she had to ‘shut her up' on Countdown
Countdown star Rachel Riley has hit out at former host Anne Robinson after she criticised her on-set behaviour. Former Weakest Link host Robinson, 80, presented the Channel 4 game show for just one year, from 2021 to 2022, joining regulars Riley and Susie Dent During Robinson's time on the show, there were several reports that she was feuding with Riley, who joined the series in 2009, replacing Carol Vorderman. It was claimed that Riley, 39, considered 'walking away' from the show due to rising tensions with Robinson, which allegedly created an 'awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere' on set. While the pair were initially complimentary of each other, Riley soon admitted she hadn't 'done much bonding' with Robinson, who replaced Nick Hewer. Following this, Robinson called out Riley for 'distracting' her by talking in the background while she was interviewing the show's contestants. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Robinson denied having a feud with Riley, but said: 'Rachel was a bit talkative when I was interviewing the contestants but once we shut her up it was fine.' Riley has now addressed Robinson's comments, saying at the Women's Football Awards last week: 'If Anne needs to mention me for publicity then good luck to her.' The Sun reports Riley as saying: 'I have the same opinion of her as most people do. I don't pay any attention to what she says.' Robinson became notorious for her scathing remarks directed at contestants when she presented BBC series The Weakest Link from 2000 to 2012. Her signature presenting style was controversial, with some fans finding her jibes hilarious and others believing the 'Queen of Mean' went too far with her comments. In January, Robinson explained that she decided to take a more brutal approach after meeting 'real quizzers' and learning they were 'ruthlessly competitive' and ready to criticise one another. Reflecting on her stint on the show in an interview with The Oldie last year, Robinson said that she would 'never be able' to behave in the same way if she was presenting the show now. 'You'd never be able to say all that now,' she claimed. 'Half of it would be stamped out. I always thought the contestants would feel short-changed if I were nice.'
The National
04-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
While officials breathe sigh of relief trans issue won't disappear
The illustration of its standard is relayed in the story of an academy under-15s team – FC Dallas – beating the US women's national team in 2017, at a time when the US were two-times FIFA Women's World Cup champions. It is a story held up as 'proof' of the deficiencies within the women's game, scorning at where it is. The issue with this example, of course, is that it simply showcases the physiological differences between women and men, the differentials in oxygen capacity, muscle capacity, strength, power, height, speed. For those who need to hear it, it is like comparing apples and oranges. This week as the sense of relief could be heard coming all the way from Glasgow and London as the SFA and the FA, on the back of the Supreme Court ruling, revealed legislation banning transgender women competing in women's football, the external view of the majority would be that it is one of unambiguity given the basics outlined above. There had been a long period of obfuscation over the issues of trans players within the women's game with a nervousness around whether such a call would stand up to legal scrutiny. Last week's Supreme Court ruling removes any ambiguity on that part. But while this week's news has been regarded as a move in the right direction, it is not a call that has been met with universal approval within the game. Read more: It is understood that there are senior players within the Scottish set up who feel that the decision is not in keeping within the spirt of the women's game, with so much of its identity based around inclusion and solidarity. Football, of course, was a closed shop to women until the ban forbidding them to play was lifted in 1974. The cultural echo of that cold shoulder has resonated throughout the game, even now decades after it was lifted; it took until 1998 for the SFA to assume direct responsibility for women's football. This, then, is a demographic who have had to fight for their place in the sport, to fight for everything that goes with it but the biggest fight they have had is for respect. They have had to do it the hard, slow way, fighting against a current of dismissal and a casual resistance. For some, the trans ban supports that. The argument is that it protects women's sport, its integrity and the space for women themselves to compete and challenge on a level playing field. But for others, who have come into the sport after being the sole girl on a boys team, or who have grown up on the outside of populist circle of fitting societal norms there is an empathy with those who are overlooked. For them, football offered community, a sense of belonging, a camaraderie and a family. There is an unease among some of these players that they have now denied that to others. This week at a showcase dinner in London, Chelsea defender Anita Asante dedicated her Game Changer gong at the Women's Football Awards to the trans community. It is also certainly to escape a feeling that there has been a disingenuous nature to some of the discourse around the argument and the narrative. There are many - Donald Trump and his ilk being the obvious example – for whom any consideration of women, their rights and their autonomy is nowhere near the forefront of consciousness when it comes to this discussion. The wider conversation on this topic became polemic with a bilious, loaded nature to discussion, wading into bullying territory at times. The Supreme Court ruling in many ways gets the SFA off the hook when it comes to defining legislation but it is unlikely to entirely negate the bigger conversations around this topic. AND ANOTHER THING There is a case to be made for Erin Cuthbert being the best midfielder in the WSL this season. The Scotland internationalist was part of the celebrations this week as Chelsea claimed a sixth successive title. Still just 26 – it does feel like she has been around the game for so long – Cuthbert is coming into the prime years of her football career. That can only be a benefit to Scotland and their international rebuild that is about to kick-off as they seek to be a team who can qualify for major tournaments. But as Cuthbert enjoys her profile as one of the stars of one of the biggest leagues in Scottish football, it is worth offering a thought for those who made such a journey possible. The SFA this week launched a 'Trailblazers' initiative to identify women who represented Scotland at any point between 1972 and 1997 but who do not receive a cap. That the SFA are now committed to ensuring that these players are giving their place among the history of the women's game is to be applauded as they look to retrospectively give a respect that was conspicuous by its absence for so long. AND FINALLY Fiona McIntyre was a worthy winner this week of the 'Unsung Hero' award at the prestigious Women's Football ceremony in London. The Managing Director of the SWPL has been an exceptional ambassador for the growth of the women's game in Scotland and works her socks off to keep the trajectory of its journey on an upward curve. Her effort deserves to be seen and acknowledged.
