Male pundits risk blocking opportunities for women - Aluko

Former England striker Eni Aluko says Ian Wright and other male broadcasters and presenters risk blocking female pundits getting opportunities.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour Aluko, 38, says Wright needs to be aware of how much he works in the women's game as there are only a "finite amount of opportunities" for women.

Wright is a major advocate of women's football and has regularly worked as a pundit, especially covering the Lionesses.

"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," said Aluko.

"The fact of the matter is, 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."

Asked if she thinks it is wrong for Wright to cover women's football, Aluko added: 'I don't know about wrong, but I think we need to be conscious and we need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting in the women's game.

"It's still new, it's still growing. There's a finite amount of opportunities and I think that men need to be aware of that."

Aluko says her broadcasting career has been damaged because of her ongoing civil legal case against former Newcastle and Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton.

The former striker welcomed winning the first stage of a High Court libel claim against Barton arising from posts on social media.

Barton is yet to respond to the ruling on the meaning of his posts and could appeal against it. The 42-year-old could also defend the statements if the case goes to trial.

But Aluko says her work as a pundit across the broadcasting industry has been hit, regardless of the outcome.

She said: "This happens in lots of industries - when women stand up for themselves, their career takes a hit.

"I've been doing broadcasting for 11 years. I'm not new to it. And in the last 18 months I've done the least TV I've ever done.

"That's just a fact. That's not a feeling, that's an opinion. That's a fact. So I think people can draw their own conclusions from that.

"There is a double standard where there is still a limited amount of opportunities for women, female broadcasters, both in the men's and the women's game.

"We're still competing for two or three seats maximum, which includes the presenters.

"What the Joey Bartons, and some male football fans, want is for women to get off the TV."

Aluko said she faced threats of violence and abuse on social media after Barton posted twice on social media site X in January 2024, posts a judge has ruled were defamatory.

Barton had claimed Aluko's father was financially corrupt and that her private education made her a "hypocrite", and accused her of "using the race card", the court heard.

Aluko said she had to leave the house in disguise because of the hearing.

She said: "There's 45 tweets that Joey Barton has tweeted about me.

"And what that does is it impacts you in real life, where it just feels like a wave of abuse and it feels like you're in a fishbowl. And it means that I'm more self-conscious.

"I don't feel that I can just go out and be free to do what I do. For the first week I was disguising myself and some people think that's over the top, but that's genuinely the impact it had on me."