Former England Lionesses star Eni Aluko has addressed the fallout from her comments about Ian Wright last year and questioned why the Arsenal icon refused to accept her apology.
Eni Aluko targets Ian Wright again (Image: 90s Baby Show)
Eni Aluko has claimed Ian Wright showed “disrespect” by ignoring his apology for comments he made last year when the BBC and ITV criticized the use of former England striker and Nedum Onuoha as pundits for the women’s Euro 2025 final.
Aluko, 38, slammed Wright last year, accusing him of “blocking opportunities” for women because of his prominent coverage of women’s games.
The former England Lionesses attacker will go on to apologize publicly and privately to Wright, but the Match of the Day pundit said he could not accept Aluko’s apology.
Nine months later, Ms Aluko addressed comments on social media about the aftermath of Wright’s story, claiming her name was “used as a weapon” against her before criticizing his response to the incident.
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“The reality is that nine months ago we had a chance to decompress, have an adult conversation, and discuss our different perspectives,” Aluko said in an Instagram video.
“When I apologized publicly and privately to Ian Wright, he had the opportunity to show the grace and allyship he has shown to so many others, and to prove that he is an undisputed ally.
“Unfortunately, my honesty and humility have been disrespected.”
In the second video, Aluko added: “I’ve always been the one to ignore, whether you like the person or not. And you work together and move forward. I’ve made it known publicly that I’m more than open to a conversation with Ian Wright. I’ve expressed my opinion. I’ve given more context. I’ve been silent for a very long time.”
“The public is going to have their own views and opinions, and the media is going to have their own views and opinions. I don’t live for that validation anyway. So[I’m]open to the conversation and if it happens, great. If it doesn’t happen, life goes on.”
Wright refused to accept Aluko’s apology for comments he made about him last year (Image: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Aluko’s comments came after she appeared on the ’90s podcast Baby Show and spoke about the pundit line-up for the Women’s Euro 2025 final. She pointed out that she and Farrah Williams, who won more than 100 caps for the Lionesses during her playing days, were not chosen to present the final.
Aluko participated in ITV’s broadcast of the tournament, but was not used in the final. Wright covered the match for ITV, while former Manchester City defender Onuoha was part of the BBC panel.
Aluko said: “Last year at the Women’s Lionesses final, I was sitting in the stands. She wasn’t on ITV during the final. Farrah Williams was sitting next to me. Farrah Williams has 170 (172) caps for England. It’s crazy. I think she’s the most capped player. She was sitting in the stands.”
“The two broadcasters who had the rights to broadcast this match, ITV and the BBC, have Ellen White, Steph Houghton and Nedum Onuoha. There’s no ill will towards Nedum Onuoha, nothing against him. I don’t know if he played for England, but you’re on the main panel for the England women’s national team final.”
Aluko has appeared as a critic many times in recent years (Image: Getty Images)
“Let’s go to ITV. I’m in the stands with 105 caps, so there’s two women. Between us we have 290 caps. It’s outrageous. You look at ITV, it’s Ian Wright, Emma Hayes, Kaz (Karen) Carney.”
“So out of the six pundit spots, two have gone to men, while you, sitting in the stands, have won 290 caps, whatever that is.
“It’s nothing for Ian, it’s nothing for them. It’s just saying, broadly speaking, that we need to be aware of that. Because if we’re building the game in a situation where limited opportunities are being taken away by the boys, if we can’t go into the men’s game and get the same chances, we’re stuck.”
Laura Woods appears to take issue with Aluko’s comments on X (Image: @itvfootball/Twitter)
Laura Woods, one of ITV’s leading sports presenters, appeared to disagree with Aluko’s comments via social media on Monday morning.
Regarding “X”, she wrote: “Cap doesn’t automatically win the job, and it doesn’t automatically make you a good critic. The way you communicate, the way you articulate your ideas, the way you do your research, the way you inform your audience, how likable you are, and your chemistry with the panel are what make a good critic.”
“‘Women’s games should be by women and for women’ is one of the most damaging statements I’ve ever heard. It’s not only a setback for women’s sports, it’s a setback for female professionals in all forms of competition.
“If you want something to grow, you don’t have to keep it up. We want to encourage not only little girls and women but also little boys and men to watch women’s football. And when you see players like Ian Wright taking football as seriously as he does, they follow suit. That’s how you grow the sport.”
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