The former England international is a pioneer in football and the media. But her broadside on TV punditry is another own goal, empowering the most chauvinistic commentators
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s this what Eni Aluko envisioned? Did she think reigniting the somewhat one-sided row between herself and fellow pundit Ian Wright would resurrect her broadcasting career or make Wright reflect differently on the incident that she triggered 10 months ago? If so, the exercise has failed and we sit staring at an overwhelmingly sad and depressing episode that is showing no sign of quieting down.
No one credible would dispute Aluko’s record as a player. Her 105 caps and 33 goals for England, involvement in five major international tournaments, four FA Cup wins, three WSL titles and Serie A and Coppa Italia medals speak for themselves.
Ditto her record as a fighter against racism and sexism and for equality, having played a role in the improvement of the central contracts England players benefited from for many years. She challenged the actions of Mark Sampson and the Football Association’s handling of allegations of racism against the former England manager (the claims were later dismissed), and, more recently, saw Joey Barton receive a suspended prison sentence for sending grossly offensive messages to her, fellow pundit Lucy Ward and broadcaster Jeremy Vine.
