Eni Aluko has doubled down on her comments about former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright, calling him disrespectful in two new videos posted to her social media accounts.
In April last year, the former Lioness had accused Wright of blocking opportunities for female pundits to cover women's football on television due to his consistent presence within the sport. Aluko later apologised for what she said, but Wright went on to reject it, stating that he was "disappointed" with how she had behaved.
In recent days, the public spat between the pair has been reignited by Aluko, who questioned why men dominated punditry roles in women's football when the reverse was not the same on the '90s Baby's Show'. Although she said that she had no personal issues with Wright, she mentioned him as one of the pundits selected by ITV for their coverage of the Women's European Championship final, while recounting how she was in the stands alongside fellow England legend, Fara Williams.
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Aluko Calls Out 'Weaponisation' of Wright's Name Against Her
In the aftermath of the podcast being released, several individuals have reacted to the viral clip of Aluko speaking about Wright on social media. Both Piers Morgan and Laura Woods have given their thoughts on the matter, leading to the Women's Super League icon to elaborate on her comments.
Posting two videos on Instagram, Aluko called out the "weaponisation" of Wright's name against her in the nine months since their initial argument. She went on to call him out for failing to apologise to her, stating: "The reality is we had an opportunity nine months ago to quieten this, to have an adult conversation and talk about our different perspectives.
"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. Where he said, 'I don't accept your apology'. And he green-lit all of these people to pile on."
Going on to recount how her mother was confronted by the press and accusing the media of breaking into her private letterbox in the days that followed, Aluko believes the lack of an apology is the reason why she continues to speak about the problems today.
In her second video, she then went on to say that she was disappointed with Wright for telling companies he didn't want to work with her, labelling the behaviour "childish." She said: "I’m a little bit disappointed to hear that… Ian, if you’re watching this, there’s been a sort of, ‘I don’t want to work with her,’ and this active choice that people are now having to make, which is childish.
“I would never use my privilege to say, ‘I don’t want to work with that person, so that person shouldn’t get an opportunity.’ I would never do that."
She went on to add: "I've always been the person who ignores, whether I like that person or not, and you work together and move on.
"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."