Eni Aluko has claimed Ian Wright showed her "disrespect" by rejecting her apology over comments she made last year criticizing the BBC and ITV's use of male pundits for the Women's Euro 2025 final
Daniel Marsh Senior Sports Reporter
13:04, 09 Feb 2026
Eni Aluko has reignited her feud with Ian Wright
Eni Aluko has reignited her feud with Ian Wright(Image: 90s Baby Show)
Eni Aluko has accused Ian Wright of showing her "disrespect" by rejecting her apology over remarks she made last year, following her criticism of the BBC and ITV for featuring the former England striker and Nedum Onuoha as pundits during the Women's Euro 2025 final.
Aluko, 38, took aim at Wright last year when she suggested he was blocking opportunities for women through his prominent role in women's soccer coverage. The former England Women forward subsequently issued both a public and private apology to Arsenal icon Wright, but the Match of the Day pundit declined to accept it.
Nine months later, Aluko has taken to social media to discuss the aftermath of the Wright controversy, suggesting his name had been "weaponized" against her while criticizing how he dealt with the situation.
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"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 in a video on Instagram.
"When I apologized 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."
In a follow-up video, Aluko stated: "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.
Ian Wright frequently covers England Women's games as a pundit
Ian Wright frequently covers England Women's games as a pundit(Image: Getty Images)
"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."
Aluko's remarks followed her guest appearance on the '90s Baby Show' podcast, where she discussed the punditry line-up for the Women's Euro 2025 final. She highlighted that both she and Fara Williams, each boasting over 100 caps for the Lionesses during their playing days, were overlooked for presenting the final.
While Aluko was part of ITV's coverage team for the tournament, she was not called upon for the final. Wright provided commentary for the game on ITV, while Onuoha, an ex-Manchester City defender, joined the BBC panel.
Aluko commented: "Last year, at the Women's Lionesses final, I'm sat in the stands - I wasn't on ITV for the final - Fara Williams was sat next to me, Fara Williams has 170 caps (172 caps) for England, something ridiculous, I think she's the most-capped player, she's sat in the stands.
"The two broadcasters that had the rights for the game – ITV and BBC – on BBC you've got Ellen White, Steph Houghton and Nedum Onuoha, no offence to Nedum Onuoha, nothing against him, I don't know whether he played for England or not, but 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've got two women, between us we've got 290 caps, something ridiculous, you turn over to ITV, and it's Ian Wright, Emma Hayes and Kaz Carney. So out of six punditry spots, two have gone to men. Meanwhile, you've got 290 caps, whatever it is, sitting in the stands.
"It's nothing against Ian, it's nothing against them, I'm just saying broadly speaking we need to be aware of that because if we're building a game where the limited opportunities are now being taken by men, where we can't go into the men's game and get the same opportunities, we're stuck."
Laura Woods, one of ITV's prominent sports presenters, seemed to take issue with Aluko's remarks on social media on Monday.
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Writing on X, she said: "Caps don't win automatic work and they don't make a brilliant pundit either. 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."