Laura Woods slams Eni Aluko after comments about women’s football pundits
Eni Aluko's comments towards Ian Wright and women's football pundits have caused a stir online.
The former Lionesses striker has spent a chunk of time since her retirement as a pundit herself, though in recent years, she has been given less airtime.
Aluko made headlines last year after accusing Ian Wright, an outspoken supporter and advocate for the women's game, of 'blocking opportunities' for her and other female pundits. She later issued an apology to Wright.
Wright responded at the time, admitting he was 'very disappointed' in her claims, saying on Instagram: "She knows how I’ve helped her, supported her publicly, and I know the previous conversations she’s had with me and my management.
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“I’ve seen the apology on social media, but I can’t accept it. But I also want to move on.”
But now, Aluko is back in the news after speaking out on women's pundits again.
Speaking on the 90s Baby Show podcast, she said: “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."
She went on: “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.”
She said that two of six punditry spots have gone to men, noting that in the stands were 'two women, between us we’ve got 290 caps', but specifically mentioned: "You turn over to ITV and it’s Ian Wright, Emma Hayes and Kaz [Karen] Carney.
“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,” she stated.
Aluko was part of ITV's punditry team for Euro 2025, but she didn't work on any England games.
Now, TNT Sports and ITV presenter Laura Woods has responded to a clip of Aluko's claims on X, saying 'Wow'.
When asked if she defended Aluko's comments, she replied, 'Nope'.
Woods has also hit back with longer messages, saying: "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."
She claimed that the belief of the women's game being 'by women for women' is 'one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard', explaining that women's punditry will go backwards if this is the case.
"If you want to grow something, you don’t gate keep it," Woods said, adding: "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."
Aluko has more recently taken to Instagram, opening the door to a conversation with Wright about her comments.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, the former Chelsea star responded to Woods, saying: "I respect Laura's opinion as I have always done. For eleven years, I have worked alongside the likes of Laura and all those considered the best pundits in the game.
"It's therefore clear I was considered one of the best too if I was part of the same punditry team."
She went on: "No one who has ever hired me as a pundit has said I wasn't good enough or did not have all the attributes Laura referred to."
Aluko said that women's football 'should prioritise women as the faces of the sport', adding that women should be as dominant in the game in the same way that men are in the men's game, clarifying: "That means men should play more of a supporting role."
Joshua Nair