Roy Keane left Ian Wright in stitches after he aimed a light-hearted dig at Eni Aluko following her fall-out with the former Arsenal star.
Last month, Aluko initially accused Wright of ‘blocking opportunities for women’ in the women’s game in an incendiary appearance on the BBC Radio 4 programme.
Immediately hit with a wave of backlash, the former Chelsea star walked back on her comments and stressed that she had not intended to single out Wright – a vocal supporter of the growth of women’s football – on purpose.
But in his first public comments in the wake of the controversy, Wright thenchose not to accept his occasional ITV co-pundit’s apology, instead calling for the public to ‘move on’.
Mail Sport subsequently reported how Aluko’s position at ITV was under scrutiny amid the fallout from her comments, which came during an appearance where she also claimed that her punditry career had been damaged by ex-Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton, who she’s suing for libel, after he dubbed her a ‘race card player’ on social media in January last year. She then stepped back from her hosting duties at the Women’s Football Awards.
And, on the latestStick To Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Aluko’s comments came to the fore again.
Roy Keane left Ian Wright in stitches after he aimed a light-hearted dig at Eni Aluko this week
Aluko claimed last month that Wright was ‘blocking’ opportunities for female football pundits
The comments generated controversy and Aluko later apologised to the former Arsenal star
As the panel were discussing managerial criticism, Keane said: ‘That’s the one thing I wouldn’t do. Criticise players – no problem, with managers I’d be (reluctant)… because I’ve been there done it and I know how hard it is.’
Jill Scott then intervened and gave her opinion on the matter as she added: ‘I find it hard like I don’t do many of the women’s games and stuff,’ before Keane chipped in with a hilarious quipp.
‘Because of Ian,’ the hard-hitting pundit said with a straight face in reference to Aluko’s comments, leaving Scott, Wright, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes in hysterics.
Several of Wright’s colleagues have taken his side throughout the row, as well as a number of women’s players past and present.
This included Aluko’s former team-mate and Wright’s podcast co-host Steph Houghton, who dubbed him a ‘super-hero’ on their show Crossways – A Women’s Football Show’ on a recent episode.
She had 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.’
Meanwhile, sparking the controversy during her appearance on BBC Radio, Aluko had been asked about the presence of male pundits within the women’s game and, specifically, Ian Wright.
She said: ‘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.
Keane delivered the hilarious quip with a straight face as Aluko’s comments came to the fore
Aluko took to Instagram to issue a lengthy apology to her co-pundit Wright after the row
Steph Houghton was one of many current or former women’s stars to support Wright publicly
‘The fact of the matter is, 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.’
When asked to clarify if she thinks it is wrong for Wright to be covering women’s football, Aluko 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.
‘It’s still new, it’s still growing. There’s a finite amount of opportunities and I think that men need to be aware of that.
‘Men need to be aware that, you know, you’re in a growing sport, a growing sport for women, and we haven’t always had these opportunities, and so it’s about the awareness and supporting other women through that pathway.’
She later clarified her comments on Instagram as she posted on her story: ‘I’m sharing this full episode here again so people can actually listen to everything I said with full context.
‘Contrary to clickbait media headlines no one was “attacked” or “accused” during this interview. There are lots of examples of men in women’s sport. Ian Wright is one. And as I said in the interview – Ian Wright is brilliant.’
As the backlash towards Aluko continued, she subsequently issued an apology to Wright as she said: ‘lan Wright is a brilliant broadcaster and role model whose support for the women’s game has been significant.
Wright then said he ‘can’t accept’ Aluko’s apology but said he would like to ‘move on’
Wright (pictured with Aluko in 2023) has previously defended her after she was trolled online
‘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.’
Wright, however, did not accept her reframing of the comments.
‘I have to talk about this week and what’s going on, I don’t want to endlessly be asked about it,’ the formerArsenal striker said in a video on Instagram, which was liked be several current Lionesses stars includingLauren Hemp, Alessia Russo and Mary Earps.
‘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 fixes. So for me, I always give back to the game, it’s given me so much.’
Meanwhile, Wright also received the backing of ITV amid the row, putting further doubts into Aluko’s future with the broadcaster.
‘Ian’s standing in the sport is beyond question,’ they wrote in a statement.
‘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.’