Several prominent Lionesses have shown their support for Ian Wright after he said he could not accept Eni Aluko’s apology following her claim that he is “blocking” opportunities for women in punditry.
Aluko said during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour that Wright should be aware of “how much he’s doing in the women’s game” and suggested his presence on punditry hampered the chances of female pundits trying to break into the industry.
She later issued an apology to Wright on social media but the former Arsenal and England striker said he could not accept her retraction.
“I have to talk about this week and what’s going on, I don’t want to endlessly be asked about it,” Wright said on Instagram at the weekend.
“I’ve got to say, I’m very disappointed about 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.
“For anyone watching this, I really don’t need any further social commentary directed on any of 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 fix it. So, for me, I always give back to the game, it’s given me so much.”
Alessia Russo and Mary Earps are among several England players to have liked Wright’s post, with Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan also having done so.
Sam Kerr, Jordan Nobbs, Katie McCabe and former England player turned pundit Izzy Christiansen are among other notable figures to have liked it.
In the video, Wright also thanked Kayleigh McDonald, the former Stoke City player who told Telegraph Sport how he had been paying for her rehab, which costs £1,700 per month, for an anterior cruciate ligament injury since the start of the year.
“I wouldn’t be in a great place mentally if it wasn’t for Ian Wright,” McDonald told Telegraph Sport.
“I would probably still be waiting for my surgery if it wasn’t for him. For him to do this for me, someone he didn’t know, I think there should be more of a spotlight shone on him.”
Aluko’s apology to Wright came after she denied “attacking” him. “Ian Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women’s game has been significant,” she wrote on Instagram.
“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 Ian for many years and have nothing but love and respect for him.”
In a further post on social media on Monday, Aluko said: “When you feel like the world is against you… check your DMs. Thank you to the people who take time to show love in difficult moments. I appreciate it.”
Wright has been a pundit on Lionesses matches for ITV and previously worked for the BBC during the 2022 European Championship. But the 61-year-old has only been a pundit for one Women’s Super League match in the history of the competition – this season’s game between Arsenal and Liverpool in March.
He has been a vocal advocate for the women’s game and helped create the Ian Wright Coaching Fund with Barclays in 2023. The initiative was created to increase the number of female coaches at grass-roots level, particularly in under-represented areas, for girls playing football. Wright made a £15,000 donation and as many as 664 female coaches were funded to attend their Level One training course.
Wright has a podcast, Crossways, with former England captain Steph Houghton and on it the pair have raised a number of important issues in the women’s game.
Several prominent Lionesses have shown their support for Ian Wright after he said he could not accept Eni Aluko’s apology following her claim that he is “blocking” opportunities for women in punditry.
Aluko said during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour that Wright should be aware of “how much he’s doing in the women’s game” and suggested his presence on punditry hampered the chances of female pundits trying to break into the industry.
She later issued an apology to Wright on social media but the former Arsenal and England striker said he could not accept her retraction.
“I have to talk about this week and what’s going on, I don’t want to endlessly be asked about it,” Wright said on Instagram at the weekend.
“I’ve got to say, I’m very disappointed about 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.
“For anyone watching this, I really don’t need any further social commentary directed on any of 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 fix it. So, for me, I always give back to the game, it’s given me so much.”
Alessia Russo and Mary Earps are among several England players to have liked Wright’s post, with Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan also having done so.
Sam Kerr, Jordan Nobbs, Katie McCabe and former England player turned pundit Izzy Christiansen are among other notable figures to have liked it.
In the video, Wright also thanked Kayleigh McDonald, the former Stoke City player who told Telegraph Sport how he had been paying for her rehab, which costs £1,700 per month, for an anterior cruciate ligament injury since the start of the year.
“I wouldn’t be in a great place mentally if it wasn’t for Ian Wright,” McDonald told Telegraph Sport.
“I would probably still be waiting for my surgery if it wasn’t for him. For him to do this for me, someone he didn’t know, I think there should be more of a spotlight shone on him.”
Aluko’s apology to Wright came after she denied “attacking” him. “Ian Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women’s game has been significant,” she wrote on Instagram.
“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 Ian for many years and have nothing but love and respect for him.”
In a further post on social media on Monday, Aluko said: “When you feel like the world is against you… check your DMs. Thank you to the people who take time to show love in difficult moments. I appreciate it.”
Wright has been a pundit on Lionesses matches for ITV and previously worked for the BBC during the 2022 European Championship. But the 61-year-old has only been a pundit for one Women’s Super League match in the history of the competition – this season’s game between Arsenal and Liverpool in March.
He has been a vocal advocate for the women’s game and helped create the Ian Wright Coaching Fund with Barclays in 2023. The initiative was created to increase the number of female coaches at grass-roots level, particularly in under-represented areas, for girls playing football. Wright made a £15,000 donation and as many as 664 female coaches were funded to attend their Level One training course.
Wright has a podcast, Crossways, with former England captain Steph Houghton and on it the pair have raised a number of important issues in the women’s game.
