Eni Aluko Blames Joey Barton for Lack of TV Work After Guilty Court Verdict
Eni Akuo believes she has lost TV work amid the court course which saw Joey Barton convicted of sending 'grossly offensive' social media posts.
Barton was found guilty of six counts of sending 'grossly offensive' social media posts aimed at Aluko, broadcaster Jeremy Vine and pundit Lucy Ward.
The former Premier League footballer, who played for the likes of Manchester City and Newcastle United, compared Aluko and Ward to the serial killer couple Fred and Rose West and called Vine a 'bike nonce' in posts sent between January and Mach 2024.
Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court accepted the prosecutions argument that the 43-year-old had 'crossed the line between free speech and a crime'.
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He was cleared of six other counts that he sent a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
Aluko, who has been a regular pundit for live football on BBC, ITV, TNT Sports and Amazon Prime, issued a statement before opening up on her ordeal.
The 38-year-old said she will 'always be grateful to ITV' for issuing a statement in the aftermath of Barton's online abuse.
But she also expressed her disappointment that she did not receive greater support from broadcasters.
"I would have liked to have seen a lot more courage on the broadcasters’ part to say 'this is not something we’re going to accept'. And how that pans out in practice is, you continue to stand by that talent. You put them on screen, you communicate about how to deal with online trolls and people in the comments section - but it was just avoided," the ex-Chelsea forward told The i Paper.
"Nobody had ever had that conversation with me, and in the end it ended up being that I just wasn’t on screen. And that’s very, very disappointing."
Aluko has grown frustrated with the lack of TV work and claimed it has dried up in the UK following Barton's comments.
She is now focused on pursuing international work given she already works with broadcasters in the US and Africa.
"When you look at the 12-month period, or 18-month period during this litigation, I have done the least TV I’ve ever done," she added.
"I think there’s lots of opportunities beyond the UK. I’ve always been a broadcaster internationally. I’ve always enjoyed that work and those are the spaces that I’m going to pursue.
"It really is a shame, but I think I would always encourage anyone in any walk of life, go to spaces where you feel protected and welcomed and respected and protected. That’s very important, specifically to women.”
Topics: Football, Joey Barton
Nasir Jabbar