Aluko suggests Wright should've GIVEN UP some punditry jobs to aid her career

Eni Aluko's ongoing feud with Ian Wright has taken another turn after she accused him of not being an 'ally' of women's football by stepping aside to let her work.

Aluko initially came back into the spotlight over the weekend after she called for women's football to be 'gatekept' as she reiterated her view that male pundits, such as Wright, are blocking opportunities in the game.

The 38-year-old had sparked controversy last April when she claimed former Arsenal and England forward Wright needed to be aware of 'how much he's doing in the women's game'.

But since apologising for her comments 10 months ago, Aluko reignited her war of words with Wright on the 90s Baby Show - with the second part of her appearance aired on Monday.

During the latter episode she hit out at the 62-year-old and claimed he didn't fight her corner when ITV decided not to extend her contract as a pundit in what she describes as 'the most difficult time in my career' before questioning why he hasn't taken a backseat at times and not worked to enable her to appear on the network.

Explaining her viewpoint, she said: 'ITV, at the end of the men's Euros, came to me and said we can't extend your contract. I met with Ian's agent, I had a face-to-face coffee with him. I met with him and said: "Listen, this is the situation, I can't believe this is happening." I said: "They've told me that Ian is the priority, they've told me that his contract is the priority for them, and they've also said to me when Ian is not available, you might get a call-up."

'So I said "how can we work together so I can stay in the game? How can we work together when Ian is not available, you give me a call or what can we do?"

'This is what I think black people should do, at the highest levels we need to strategise, we need to really help each other. We can get sidelined very quickly. I went to him and I was vulnerable, I said: "Listen, I need your help, I need Ian's influence."

'I had that meeting with his agent, a month went by and I was like "what's going on?" so I messaged him and said: "Did you manage to have a chat with ITV?" He was very dismissive, didn't really want to help me, was a bit like: "Listen, it's not going to work." I fully expected Ian to use his influence to keep me in the game. I've seen him do it with others, he did it with Gary Lineker at the BBC.

'There's nothing that would make me think he wouldn't do that for me, because you're the ally, you're "Uncle". So the question to you is, why didn't he do that for me? I say all this to say, you don't want to help me, you don't want to use your influence, you don't want to be an ally for me in the most difficult time in my career and that's fine, that's cool.

'But nine months later, when I've been off screen and I've seen that you're doing the games and you've cracked on, the fact of the matter is you have the level of influence to say: "I don't need to do every game, what Eni means to women's football is much more important than me doing all of these games. Eni is one of the main characters of women's football, I know that this is bigger for her. It's going to be harder for her to get this opportunity in men's football."

'That's what I expect from an ally - sacrifice. You can't have it both ways, you can't have this brand that says ally, that's not my experience of you. When it comes down to it, you never really tried.'

Wright's representatives have been contacted for comment.

Earlier on Monday, ITV presenter Laura Woods took to X to tell Aluko that her 'gatekept' comments were 'dragging women's punditry backwards'.

Both were part of ITV punditry's team during England Women's successful defence in Switzerland last summer but reflecting on that Aluko claimed 'the women's game should be by women, for women.'

'Caps don't win automatic work and they don't make a brilliant pundit either,' Woods wrote. 'The way you communicate, articulate yourself, do your research, inform your audience, how likeable you are and the chemistry you have with your panel are what makes a brilliant pundit.

'"The women's game should be by women for women," is one of the most damaging phrases I've heard. It will not only drag women's sport backwards, it will drag women's punditry in all forms of the game backwards.

'If you want to grow something, you don't gate keep it. We want to encourage little boys and men to watch women's football too, not just little girls and women. And when they see someone like Ian Wright taking it as seriously as he does - they follow suit. That's how you grow a sport.

'Here's a picture of our team at ITV. We won best production at the Broadcast Sport Awards 2025 for our coverage of the Women's Euros. Seb Hutchinson won best commentator too. So I think ITV got it just right.'

In response to Woods' posts, Aluko gave a statement to Daily Mail Sport which read: 'I respect Laura's opinion as I have always done. For 11 years I have worked alongside the likes of Laura and all those considered the best pundits in the game. It's therefore clear I was considered one of the best too if I was part of the same punditry team.

'No one who has ever hired me as a pundit has said I wasn't good enough or did not have all the attributes Laura referred to. Quite the contrary. I believe that women's football should prioritise women as the faces of the sport - it's as simple as that.

'I think women should be the dominant force in the women's game in the same way that men are the dominant force in the men's game. That means men should play more of a supporting role.

'No one is saying any man should be excluded but the roles do need to be defined. That's all I'm saying - and people are quite free to disagree whilst respecting my right to an opinion too.'

Woods hosted ITV's coverage of the final in July, which England won on penalties against Spain.

Aluko was among the broadcaster's line-up of pundits for the tournament in Switzerland but was not on the panel for the final, while Wright was alongside Karen Carney and Emma Hayes.

Speaking on her Friday's episode of the 90s Baby Show, Aluko expressed frustration at the presence of male pundits Wright and Nedum Onuoha, the latter who worked for the BBC, for that final.

'Last year at the Women's Lionesses final, I'm sat in the stands, I wasn't on it for ITV for the final,' Aluko said. 'Farah Williams was next to me. Farah Williams has 170 caps for England.

'The two broadcasters that had the rights, ITV, BBC. On BBC, you've got Ellen White, Steph Houghton and Nedum Onuoha. No offence to Nedum Onouha, nothing against him, I don't know whether he played for England or not. You're on the main panel for the final for England Women.

'Let's go over to ITV, I'm in the stands with 105 caps, so you have got two women with 290 caps, something ridiculous right. Right ITV, it's Ian Wright, Emma Hayes and Kaz Carney.

'So out of six spots, two have gone to men, meanwhile you have got 290 (caps) sitting in the stands. I have never done a final and I am probably going to struggle to think of any woman, female pundit, who has done a men's major final.

'I am talking about as a pundit, so something is not right there. Why are people like me and Faz (Fara) not there. It is nothing against Ian and nothing against them, I am just saying broadly speaking we need to be aware of that.'

The BBC's line-up had featured White, England women's record goalscorer and Euro 2022 winner, along with former England captain Houghton.

Carney, who won 144 England caps during her career, and former Chelsea and current United States boss Hayes have both been regular pundits during major international tournaments.

Aluko claimed that there needs to be an effort to 'gatekeep the women's game in the same way the men's game is gatekept'.

When justifying her view, Aluko declared that there had been a lot of people - herself included - who had 'planted a lot of seeds' to reap the benefits of the growth of the women's game.

'From my perspective we didn't go through all of that blood, sweat and tears for women to now be second place in our own sport. What are we doing?' Aluko said.

'The women's game should be by women, for women. Male allies should absolutely support that, but when it gets to the point where you are the main character of the show, we are just repeating the patriarchal stuff we have been fighting against.

'Whoever that upsets, that upsets. I have always been protective about women's football. I was doing women's football when it didn't pay to do women's football. Now we are reaping the rewards, I am like, women should be winning right now.'

Aluko added that she has not been chosen to serve as a pundit for a major men's final in 11 years of broadcasting, but admitted the 'main guys should always be ahead of me'.

However, Aluko insisted that female pundits are now 'stuck' with opportunities being taken up by men in the women's game, while claiming she could 'never do a men's final'.

'The limited opportunities in the women's game are now being taken by men, but we can't go into the men's game and take the same opportunities. We are stuck,' Aluko continued.

'I can never do the men's final. The only way I have an opportunity to do a final is the women's final and now I can't do the women's final.

'What I represent for young girls who want to be footballers, who want to be broadcasters, is way more than Ian Wright represents. Again, I am not knocking Ian Wright, it is not even about him, it could be any man. It is really important that we keep an eye on premium opportunities.

'The issue I have with Ian is that in his position, he needs to clock what I am saying.'

Despite Aluko's comments, Carney had been part of TNT Sport's punditry line-up for the men's Champions League final last year, joining Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves as part of the broadcaster's team.

Following her appearance on the the 90s Baby Show, Aluko claimed she hasn't had any pundit jobs with Wright after he rejected her apology for suggesting he was blocking female pundits from being given broadcasting opportunities.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, she claimed Wright's name is still being 'weaponised' against her by others nine months on from the saga, as she took aim at the former striker for the way he handled the fallout.

'The reality is we had an opportunity nine months ago to quieten this, to have an adult conversation and talk about our different perspectives,' Aluko said

'When I apologised to Ian Wright publicly and privately he had an opportunity to show the grace and the allyship that he showed to many other people. And to prove that he's the ally that everybody says he is.

'Unfortunately, my sincerity, my humility, was met with disrespect.'

Aluko then said Wright's refusal to accept her apology led to her being widely piled on, before claiming in a second video that she has not had any work gigs with Wright since their public fallout.

'I've always been the person who ignores, whether I like that person or not, and you work together and move on,' she continued.

'I'm putting it out there that I'm more than open to a conversation with Ian Wright. I've said my piece. I've given more context. I've been quiet for a very long time.

'The public will have their own views and opinions, the media will have their own views and opinions. I don't live for that validation, anyway. So, (I'm) open to a conversation and if it happens, great. If it doesn't happen, life moves on.'