Eni Aluko is 'genuinely scared' after Joey Barton's vile sexist attacks

Eni Aluko has revealed she felt 'scared' enough to leave the country following recent online attacks from Joey Barton.

Barton has made a number of sexist rants against several female former players, pundits and commentators having a role in the coverage and analysis of men's football in recent months.

His latest attack was aimed at former Chelsea and England star Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, during their coverage of an FA Cup third-round clash between Crystal Palace and Everton for ITV.

Barton claimed the broadcaster reached a 'new low', however the rant stood out for the bizarre comparison to serial killers Fred and Rose West.

The Wests murdered 12 women and young girls over the course of 20 years. Fred took his own life before facing trial while Rose was sentenced to 10 life terms. She remains in prison aged 70.

In an emotional video on her Instagram account, Aluko on Tuesday revealed that she has now left the UK after feeling 'genuinely scared' following the online attacks.

'Now, I'm open and honest and I'm human and I'm more than happy to admit: I've been scared this week.

'I've genuinely been scared this week. I didn't leave my house until Friday and I'm now abroad. Because it's really important to say that online abuse has a direct impact on your safety and how you feel and how safe you feel in real life.

'I've felt under threat this week. I've felt like something is going to happen to me. And I don't say that for anyone to feel sorry for me – I say that for people to understand the reality and the impact that hate speech has. The impact that racism has. The impact that sexism has. The impact that misogyny has on all of us females in the game [and] in sports broadcasting.

'That's the real impact – and it's not an isolated incident, this is now showing up as a culture in the game, from certain fan bases and certain people.

'They're creating a culture where people don't want to go to work, people don't want to leave their house, people feel under threat. Obviously there's a big impact on mental health as well.'

Britain's sports minister Stuart Andrew has vowed to put pressure on social media companies in the wake of Joey Barton's 'dangerous and disgusting comments'.

Speaking at a Department for Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday, he said: 'These are dangerous comments that open the floodgates for abuse and that’s not acceptable.

'I’m slightly wary that these sort of people want the oxygen and I don’t want to fuel that.'

He added that he would 'happily' speak to social media companies in regards to Barton's rant and noted broadcast regulator Ofcom was also obliged to issue guidance under the new Online Safety Act.

Reports emerged on Tuesday from the Telegraph that both Aluko and Ward would be seeking legal advice after being compared to the Wests.

'How is she even talking about Men's football,' Barton wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter in December.

'She can't even kick a ball properly. Your coverage of the game EFC last night, took it to a new low. Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, the Fred and Rose West of football commentary.'

ITV were deeply critical of Barton's comments and issued a stern response of their own, which read: 'For Joey Barton, an ex-professional player with a significant social media presence, to target two of our pundits, Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, with such vindictive remarks based on gender and to invoke the names of serial killers in doing so is clearly contemptible and shameful on his part.'

Aluko appeared to confirm that she has sought legal advice following Barton's comments on X, adding: 'I've seen a lot of stuff mentioned this week around freedom of speech and people being entitled to their opinions and the reality is that our freedom of speech isn't really free.

'Our speech isn't really free and neither is our opinion, because depending on what you say, there are laws that govern that opinion and that freedom of speech. That's not something that happened this week – that's always been the case.

'If you come out and are racist, or sexist or misogynistic and threaten people online, there are laws for that and that govern that behaviour. It's not free. It's not freedom of consequences, either.

'There are consequences for that. And over the past week I've taken advice from lawyers and a course of action has now been decided upon.'

Meanwhile, the former Premier League footballer's 'warped, wicked views' have been strongly condemned by Daily Mail associate editor Stephen Wright.

Wright was speaking to It's All Kicking Off hosts Ian Ladyman and Chris Sutton on the back of his powerful article, in which he described Barton's serial killer comparison as an obscene new low for a deluded, sexist thug.

'There is a line which you must not cross and I think he's crossed that line by several country miles in this attack,' Wright, who has covered crime for the Mail for 30 years, said.

'If he wants to or was capable of making an intellectual argument, well, do it. Do it.

'But don't compare these ITV commentators, one of whom I listen to quite a lot, Lucy Ward on TNT, formerly BT Sport, and she's a very articulate and incisive commentator. Don't compare these pundits to serial killers.

'I mean, it is the most absurd, unnecessary comparison you can make. He cheapened the whole argument and made it worse by doubling down, trying to defend it. It's indefensible what he has done.'

Barton also invoked the memory of soldiers who fought in the First World War - including his grandfather - to justify his attacks against women in football.

He also suggested that he would have to be killed before he could be cancelled, branding himself a 'lone wolf'.