Eni Aluko to take legal action against Joey Barton after online abuse | OneFootball

Highlights

Former England and Chelsea Women footballer Eni Aluko has insisted she has “genuinely been scared” and has been forced to flee abroad after the online abuse she has received on the back of Joey Barton’s posts on social media, which suggested that women shouldn’t work in the realm of men’s football.

Barton, a one-cap former England international, has been at the front and centre of the comments directed towards women working in men’s football, with the ex-Manchester City player, who played 269 times in the Premier League, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to express his misogynistic opinion in a series of posts.

More recently, the 41-year-old has likened Aluko, who has turned her hand to punditry post-retirement, and her fellow ITV pundit Lucy Ward to serial killer duo Fred and Rose West. Barton has also compared Aluko to dictators Joseph Stalin and Pol Pot – and such abuse has led Aluko to leave the country amid fears over her safety.

Aluko fled the country amid safety fears

Aluko: 'I've genuinely been scared'

With the pressure and ranting failing to fade away from Barton, Aluko claims on an upsetting 15-minute Instagram reel that she’s been full of fear this week – a feeling that has led her to flee the country. The 36-year-old revealed that, when in England, she was ‘scared’ and that she had confined herself to the walls of her own home all because she 'felt like something' was going to happen to her.

Insisting that Barton’s disgusting comments were not a one-off incident, Aluko claimed that a certain ‘culture in the game’ is creating an atmosphere where people, particularly women working in football, are unwilling to go to work and would much rather stay inside to ensure their safety.

Many big names in the sport have condemned Barton’s comments. Defender-turned-pundit Alex Scott sent a defiant message to the former Queens Park Rangers midfielder as she told women in football to ‘keep being role models’ and that football is a better place with women involved. Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes, too, has vocally criticised Barton’s views as she gave a very poignant response, all while spotlighting the struggles that women have – day in day out – to break down the barriers to participation, whether that be playing, managing or broadcasting.

Aluko poised to take legal action

She’ll be joined by fellow ITV pundit Lucy Ward

In the hope for justice, the former striker, Aluko, has suggested that she is taking legal action against Barton, seeing that his hateful comments have not wilted. Stating that it is not free speech to practice any form of discrimination, she insisted that laws are in place to ensure all people feel safe and that, in the past week, she has taken legal advice from lawyers and a plan is now in place.

Earlier in January, the Telegraph reported that Barton would be facing both Government and legal action over his social media posts, which have been called ‘dangerous’, as Stuart Andrew, the sports minister, previously announced that he – and his team – would “look at” what plans were in place to thwart Barton’s attacks on women in football. Ward is set to take legal action too, alongside Aluko, over Barton's repetitive digs, according to the Telegraph, as the pair look to knuckle down on his irresponsibility as a former professional.