TV presenter Laura Woods has responded to a fan’s claim about her stance on Eni Aluko on social media amid the ongoing feud between the former England women’s star and Ian Wright.
Last week, Aluko reignited her feud with Wright during a podcast appearance after previously claiming that the 62-year-old former Arsenal striker was “blocking opportunities” for female broadcasters in the women’s game.
The former Chelsea and Juventus striker first raised the topic when speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour in April of 2025, and claimed that Wright needed to be aware of his presence in the media.
She later apologised and admitted that “it was wrong” of her to single out Wright when discussing a sensitive issue.
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Wright did not accept Aluko’s apology and said he was “disappointed” by her remarks. It appeared that all parties had moved on until Aluko spoke out again last week during an appearance on the ‘90s Baby Show’ podcast.
The 38-year-old homed in on the fact that she and England women’s record appearance maker Fara Williams watched the 2025 Euros final from the stands in Basel, Switzerland, while two of the six punditry roles available across BBC and ITV’s coverage were taken by men – Wright and former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha.
Aluko suggested that the women’s game should be “gatekept” in the way that the men’s game is.
“In the women’s game, the opportunities are even more limited, so the main characters of the show should be the women,” Aluko said.
“Men should be part of that. I’m not saying anybody should be excluded. I believe in diversity wholeheartedly, but the same way we’ve played a role in the men’s game, that’s a supporting role, you’re part of the ensemble, you’re never going to get the premium final games, it should be the same way for women’s football.”
Aluko’s most recent comments provoked a negative reaction on social media, with well-known presenter Woods, who has previously worked alongside her for ITV Sport, saying that the 38-year-old’s claims were “damaging”.
In an X post on Monday (February 9), Woods wrote: “The women’s game should be by women for women,” is one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard. It will not only drag women’s sport backwards, it will drag women’s punditry in all forms of the game backwards.
“If you want to grow something, you don’t gatekeep it. 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.”
This also came after Aluko posted two lengthy videos on Sunday (February 8), accusing Wright of being disrespectful towards her.
"When I apologised to Ian Wright publicly and privately, he had an opportunity to show the grace and allyship that he showed to many other people, and to prove that he is the ally that he says he is,” she said.
"Unfortunately, my sincerity, my humility, was met with disrespect.”
Then on Tuesday (February 10), a fan responded to Woods’ lengthy post on X and wrote: “It’s really unfortunate [that] she's the one that said this because I fully agree but don't want to give her any credit.”
Woods then responded, questioning the fan’s stance.
She wrote: “Really unfortunate?”
Topics: Laura Woods, Ian Wright, Football, Womens Football
Luke Davies