Former England striker Eni Aluko has broken her silence after suggesting Ian Wright should be “aware of much he’s doing in the women’s game”.
Aluko, 38, made the comments on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour earlier this week.
"I've worked with Ian [Wright] 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," said Aluko when discussing the limited opportunities for women in football broadcasting.
"The fact of the matter is, there is a limited amount of space 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.
Advert
"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."
When further pressed on if it was wrong for Wright to cover women’s football, she added: “I don't know about wrong, but I think we need to be conscious and we need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting in the women's game."
On Friday afternoon (April 25), the ex-Chelsea player posted a statement to her Instagram account, which read: “Ian Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women's game has been significant.”
Aluko added: “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."
This comes after Wright has championed the women's game and is regularly spotted covering matches and watching as a fan from the stands. Reports even claimed he had been funding the rehabilitation, which costs £1700 per month, of Stoke City player Kayleigh McDonald following her Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury.
Topics: Ian Wright, Womens Football
Luke Davies