Latest news with #Aluko
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ian Wright returns to ITV for England semi-final after Eni Aluko row
Ian Wright is set to cover the England Women's team for the first time since the controversy involving Eni Aluko, when he appears on ITV's coverage of the Lionesses' match on Tuesday evening. Sarina Wiegman's side face Italy in the semi-finals of the Women's Euros in Geneva, and Wright will be part of the punditry team. This will mark Wright's first on-screen appearance as a pundit for women's football since Aluko accused him of 'blocking opportunities for women' within the sport. The former England and Arsenal striker has long been a vocal supporter of the women's game, consistently championing its growth and visibility. However, during an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour in April, former Lioness Eni Aluko suggested that Wright's involvement in the coverage of women's football may be denying roles to women, arguing that such positions should prioritise female voices. READ MORE: Joe Brolly slams Dónal Óg Cusack over 'most grotesque thing' after Cork's All-Ireland final loss READ MORE: Hilarious video shows Sharlene Mawdsley race Tipperary fan amid All-Ireland celebrations Amid a huge backlash, Aluko quickly issued an apology, but Wright refused to accept it. "I've got to say, I'm very disappointed about what Eni has said,' he 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.' Wright has kept a low profile since the row, not appearing on ITV or the BBC's coverage of the Women's Euros in Switzerland. But The Telegraph says he will be in Geneva on Tuesday night, working alongside former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, ex-England midfielder Karen Carney and presenter Laura Woods. The 61-year-old has been covering the tournament on a podcast called Crossways with former England captain Steph Houghton. But this is the first time he will step in front of the camera since he took great offence at Aluko's words. Aluko has been a part of ITV's coverage of the Euros, but has not appeared on any of England's matches. She has since finished her work and will not be present for Tuesday night's game, or for the final, on Sunday in Basel. ITV came out strongly in support of Wright during the row earlier this year. "Ian's standing in the sport is beyond question," a spokesperson said. "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." Aluko claimed the Arsenal legend is "dominating" coverage of women's football before backtracking and apologising in a statement on social media. "lan Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women's game has been significant,' she said. "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 lan's name to be raised in that conversation, and for that I sincerely apologise. I've known and worked with lan for many years and have nothing but love and respect for him." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ian Wright set to make ITV comeback for England semi-final after Eni Aluko row
Ian Wright will cover England Women for the first time since the Eni Aluko row when he appears on ITV 's broadcast of the Lionesses ' match on Tuesday night. Sarina Wiegman 's side play Italy in the semi-finals of the Women's Euros in Geneva – and Wright will be there to offer his punditry. Wright has not appeared on TV as a pundit for women's football since he was accused by Aluko of 'blocking opportunities for women' in women's football. The former England and Arsenal striker has been a stalwart of women's football for many years, championing the game across the board. But in an appearance on BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour in April, ex-Lionesses forward Aluko suggested he shouldn't work on women's football because he is potentially taking the place of women. Amid a huge backlash, Aluko quickly issued an apology, but Wright refused to accept it. "I've got to say, I'm very disappointed about what Eni has said,' he 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.' Wright has kept a low profile since the row, not appearing on ITV or the BBC's coverage of the Women's Euros in Switzerland. But The Telegraph says he will be in Geneva on Tuesday night, working alongside former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, ex-England midfielder Karen Carney and presenter Laura Woods. The 61-year-old has been covering the tournament on a podcast called Crossways with former England captain Steph Houghton. But this is the first time he will step in front of the camera since he took great offence at Aluko's words. Aluko has been a part of ITV's coverage of the Euros, but has not appeared on any of England's matches. She has since finished her work and will not be present for Tuesday night's game, or for the final, on Sunday in Basel. ITV came out strongly in support of Wright during the row earlier this year. "Ian's standing in the sport is beyond question," a spokesperson said. "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." Aluko claimed the Arsenal legend is "dominating" coverage of women's football before backtracking and apologising in a statement on social media. "lan Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women's game has been significant,' she said. "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 lan's name to be raised in that conversation, and for that I sincerely apologise. I've known and worked with lan for many years and have nothing but love and respect for him."
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ian Wright returns to ITV to cover Lionesses for first time since Eni Aluko row as she leaves role
IAN WRIGHT is returning to ITV to cover England women for the first time since his row with Eni Aluko. The 1 Ian Wright is returning to TV to cover England for the first time since his row with Eni Aluko Credit: Getty Wright is yet to appear on TV during the tournament. But after England booked their place in the last four with a dramatic quarter-final win over Sweden on penalties, Wright has been drafted in by ITV chiefs. The And it will mark Wright's first England appearance since he was criticised by former footballer Aluko, who claimed READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Aluko has since apologised, although it was not accepted by Wright. And while he will be on the box this evening, it's also reported that Aluko's time as a pundit with ITV has come to an end. She featured in several matches earlier in the tournament, with none of them involving England. Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS But Aluko's role with ITV for their Euros coverage is over and she will not feature in any of the semi-final clashes, or the final itself. Earlier this month, she admitted she was 'wrong' over her comments about Wright. Quick-witted Roy Keane makes brutal three-word joke about Eni Aluko row that leaves Ian Wright in stitches Aluko also said she 'respects' his decision to not accept her apology. She said: "I think I could have done better in responding to the question I was asked, and just keeping it as a general issue. "I've always been the person, to be honest, to hold my hands up and say: 'Listen, I got that one wrong. That was, that was a mistake'. If I had been on the other end, I would probably have felt the same. "Apologies are acts of respect. Apologies are a show of humility. I did a lot to try to apologise to Ian privately. "So when you're seeing a public apology, it's actually the last resort. But it was a public forum that I spoke about him on, and I felt a public apology was important. "I respect that [Wright's refusal to accept her apology]. I respect how he feels. It's really about my apology. That's all I can do. "Then, whenever the person's ready to have a conversation, I'm ready to have a conversation. But I respect if it's not the right time, I totally respect that.'
Metro
2 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Ian Wright vs Eni Aluko beef explained as Arsenal legend returns to ITV coverage
Ian Wright is set to be part of ITV's coverage of England vs Italy in the semi-finals of the Women's European Championship, returning to his punditry role for the first time since an unexpected clash with Eni Aluko. The Arsenal legend has been busy covering the Women's Euros but away from the television cameras, hosting the Crossways podcast with Steph Houghton. He will be back on screen on Tuesday night in Geneva, though, with the Telegraph reporting he will be alongside host Laura Woods, former Emma Hayes and Karen Carney. Aluko has been working in a punditry role during the tournament in Switzerland but has now completed her duties with ITV so will not be involved. The Telegraph note that Wright was not originally part of ITV's broadcast team, but is doing the same as he did during the 2023 World Cup, by arriving for the semi-finals onwards. Wright has long been a regular part of women's football coverage and that was actually how his unlikely argument with Aluko started. There was a surprise attack on Wright from the former England forward, which the 61-year-old did not appreciate. Aluko accused Wright of 'blocking' opportunities for female broadcasters in an interview with the BBC's Woman's Hour in April, and said that the former Arsenal and England striker is 'dominating' the women's game. 'What we don't want is a repeat dominance of men in the women's game, as broadcasters, as coaches, earning more money than women when we can't do the same in the men's game,' she said. 'I would never, ever be able to usurp Gary Neville or Jamie Carragher, these are guys who have done it for a long time, they are brilliant broadcasters, they rightly dominate their sport. I think the same should apply in the women's game. 'I've worked with Ian a long time and, you know, 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. 'The fact of the matter is, as I said, there is a limited amount of spaces available. If we had a situation where there was an equal opportunity in the men's game for broadcasters and coaches that there is in the women's game, it's a free for all. 'But that's not the case. I can't dominate the men's game in the way that, you know, you used Ian as an example, Ian is dominating the women's game.' Aluko's comments attracted criticism as the former Arsenal striker has been a major advocate of the women's game for several years. It also emerged that Wright has been paying £1,700 a month to fund Kayleigh McDonald's rehab after she suffered an ACL injury while playing for Stoke City last year. 'I wouldn't be in a great place mentally if it wasn't for Ian Wright,' said McDonald. '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.' Wright has also made a £15,000 donation towards training courses to help increase the number of female grassroots coaches. Aluko said: '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 lan's name to be raised in that conversation, and for that I sincerely apologise. 'I've known and worked with lan for many years and have nothing but love and respect for him.' The Arsenal legend said he wanted to move on from the situation, but also felt that he could not accept the apology. '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,' Wright said. 'I've seen the apology on social media but I can't accept it, but I also want to move on.' 'Ian's standing in the sport is beyond question,' an ITV spokesperson told The Guardian. More Trending '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.' Wright was further supported by his podcast co-host Houghton, who said: 'Ian, can I just say this, and this has not been pre-empted, I think I posted on Instagram: What you have done for our game is unbelievable and you've got to take all the credit that everybody's thrown at you this last week because you are a super-hero. And I love working with you.' Now Wright is making his return to covering the Lionesses and will be hoping to be watching them beat Italy and reach the Euro 2025 final. MORE: Why the Lionesses will not take the knee before Italy Women's Euros semi-final MORE: England vs Italy: How to watch Euro 2025 semi-final on TV and live stream tonight MORE: Three big decisions Sarina Wiegman has to make for England's Euro 2025 semi-final
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Ian Wright returns to ITV to cover Lionesses for first time since Eni Aluko row as she leaves role
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IAN WRIGHT is returning to ITV to cover England women for the first time since his row with Eni Aluko. The Arsenal legend will be back on screens for the Lionesses' Euros semi showdown against Italy tonight. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Ian Wright is returning to TV to cover England for the first time since his row with Eni Aluko Credit: Getty Wright is yet to appear on TV during the tournament. But after England booked their place in the last four with a dramatic quarter-final win over Sweden on penalties, Wright has been drafted in by ITV chiefs. The Telegraph claims he will join Emma Hayes, Karen Carney and Laura Woods on the ground in Switzerland. And it will mark Wright's first England appearance since he was criticised by former footballer Aluko, who claimed he was blocking opportunities for women on TV. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL HOLD THE PHONE Leaked vid of Rashford's bizarre Barca unveiling sees star next to phone box Her comments caused outrage, especially given that Wright has long been a vocal supporter of women's football. Aluko has since apologised, although it was not accepted by Wright. And while he will be on the box this evening, it's also reported that Aluko's time as a pundit with ITV has come to an end. She featured in several matches earlier in the tournament, with none of them involving England. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS But Aluko's role with ITV for their Euros coverage is over and she will not feature in any of the semi-final clashes, or the final itself. Earlier this month, she admitted she was 'wrong' over her comments about Wright. Quick-witted Roy Keane makes brutal three-word joke about Eni Aluko row that leaves Ian Wright in stitches Aluko also said she 'respects' his decision to not accept her apology. She said: "I think I could have done better in responding to the question I was asked, and just keeping it as a general issue. "I've always been the person, to be honest, to hold my hands up and say: 'Listen, I got that one wrong. That was, that was a mistake'. If I had been on the other end, I would probably have felt the same. "Apologies are acts of respect. Apologies are a show of humility. I did a lot to try to apologise to Ian privately. "So when you're seeing a public apology, it's actually the last resort. But it was a public forum that I spoke about him on, and I felt a public apology was important. "I respect that [Wright's refusal to accept her apology]. I respect how he feels. It's really about my apology. That's all I can do. "Then, whenever the person's ready to have a conversation, I'm ready to have a conversation. But I respect if it's not the right time, I totally respect that.'
