What did Eni Aluko say about Ian Wright? ITV’s Euro 2025 pundit controversy explained | OneFootball

Former England international Eni Aluko is part of ITV’s punditry team at Euro 2025, just a few weeks after issuing an apology to Ian Wright for suggesting he was blocking opportunities for women.

Aluko’s comments made headlines and attracted criticism in April when she told BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour that Wright needed to “be aware” of the “finite opportunities for women” in the game.

Former England and Arsenal striker Wright is not part of ITV’s coverage of Euro 2025. In an Instagram video posted following Aluko’s interview with Women’s Hour, Wright said he could not accept Aluko’s apology.

Aluku made 102 appearances for the Lionesses and is one of their greatest ever players (Getty Images)

Wright, 61, is a passionate supporter of the women’s game and was a pundit for the BBC during Euro 2022 as England won the tournament on home soil. Wright was also in Australia and New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup in 2023, where he took part in ITV’s coverage.

His absence from Switzerland comes as a surprise after being involved in coverage of recent Lionesses games. Aluko, who won 102 England caps, joins former England international Karen Carney and United States manager Emma Hayes in ITV’s punditry team for the tournament.

What did Eni Aluko say about Ian Wright?

The former England striker appeared on Women’s Hour on Wednesday 23 April and was interviewed by the presenter Clare McDonnell. The 38-year-old was first asked if she stood by her opinion, stated the previous year, that men are “dominating” women’s football broadcasting.

Aluko said: “I will never be able to usurp Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher. These are guys that have done it for a long time, they are brilliant broadcasters and rightly dominate their sport. I think the same should apply in the women’s game.”

McDonnell then asked Aluko whether Ian Wright was an example of a “high-profile man” taking up space in the women’s game. “I’ve worked with Ian a long time and 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,” Aluko said.

“The fact of the matter is there is a limited amount of space available. I can’t dominate the men’s game in the way that – you used Ian as an example – Ian is dominating the women’s game.”

Aluko was then asked if that was wrong. “I don’t know about it being wrong,” she said. “We need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway to broadcasting in the women’s game. It is still new, it is still growing. There is a very fine amount of opportunities and I think that men need to be aware of that. They need to be aware that you are in a growing sport for women and we haven’t always had those opportunities.”

Ian Wright is not working for the BBC or for ITV at Euro 2025 this summer (Action Images via Reuters)

What did Eni Aluko say when she apologised?

A couple of days later, Aluko took to Instagram to clarify her comments and said it was “wrong” for Wright’s name being brought into the discussion. She wrote: “Ian Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women’s game has been significant.

“In my interview with Woman’s Hour this week, I was trying to make a broader point about the limited opportunities for women in football - whether that’s in coaching, broadcasting or commercial spaces - and the importance of creating more space for women to thrive on and off the pitch.

“But it was wrong for Ian’s name to be raised in that conversation, and for that I sincerely apologise. I’ve known and worked with him for many years and have nothing but love and respect for him.”

How Ian Wright responded to Eni Aluko’s apology

“I have to talk about this week and what’s going on. I don’t want to endlessly be asked about it,” Wright said in a video posted onto Instagram. “I’ve got to say, I’m very disappointed by what Eni has said. She knows how I’ve helped her, supported her publicly and I know the previous conversations she’s had with me and my management.

“I’ve seen the apology on social media, but I can’t accept it – but I also want to move on from it. For anyone watching this, I really don’t need any further social commentary directed at anyone on this.

“The thing about where the women’s game is, it isn’t about me – it has to be about the collective. Because of the past, we know the men blocked the women’s game for 50 years, because of the past we know the game has serious systemic challenges, and it’s going to take everyone to help fixes. So for me, I always give back to the game, as it has given me so much.”

ITV also backed Wright, with a spokesperson saying: “Ian’s standing in the sport is beyond question. As one of the UK’s most respected and much-loved footballers and sporting broadcasters, with a career spanning nearly four decades, Ian is an incredible advocate, ally and brilliant broadcaster of women’s football from a grassroots level as well as at the highest international competitions.”