Eni Aluko speaks on her legal win over Joey Barton and her fallout with Ian Wright in an interview with the Daily Mirror this week.
It was in April that Eni was victorious in the first round of her defamation fight against Barton following his offensive posts on Twitter.
A judge at the High Court ruled the posts had a defamatory meaning. She attracted support across the board for her determination to stand up to the trolls that had intimidated others into silence.
The 38 year old is now back in punditry, after claims she had been axed. She has been on ITV with the Lionesses in action during the Euros. Aluko’s Hyphenated People podcast also launched.
She addressed her comments on the fallout with Ian Wright back in April, which saw her talk and opportunities for women in football broadcasting but seemed to question Wright’s role as a prominent ITV pundit.
Aluko accepts she was wrong to spotlight Wrighty who has, for many years, been a strong advocate for women’s football.
In a video she posted on social media this week, she said: “They said I’ve been axed. They said I was facing the axe. They said I’ve been snubbed. They said I’ve never work in TV again. Said I’ve been dumped.
“Well, I hope you enjoy this dump of me enjoying myself, working on ITV, thriving, talking about women’s football, doing all the things I love to do.
“I hope you really enjoy this dump. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing me on screen over the last few weeks. It’s amazing how quiet you all are all of a sudden.
“To Stuart Pink at the Daily Mail, I hope you’re well. To Kathryn Batte at the Telegraph, Not good. Hope you’re well. Hope the guy that decided to doorstep my mother from the Daily Mail. I hope you’re well too.
“I hope you’ve enjoyed this dump, and I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing me on screen over the last two weeks. It’s looking sticky for you guys, but I hope you’re well.”
The post also included the caption: “✨ I had the best time over the past few weeks covering @weuro2025 with @itvfootball! What a tournament it’s been. Thanks to all the team @itvsport for an enjoyable few weeks!
“✨ I am immensely proud of myself. Thanks to everyone who has shown me love and support in recent months.
“🪓 The empty vessels basking in their toxic negativity didn’t see this coming. Been quiet recently. Hope you’re all doing well. Enjoy this dump!”
She’s now said to The Mirror: “I think I could have done better in responding to the question I was asked, and just keeping it as a general issue.
“I’ve always been the person, to be honest, to hold my hands up and say: ‘Listen, I got that one wrong. That was, that was a mistake.’ If I had been on the other end, I would probably have felt the same Apologies are acts of respect. Apologies are a show of humility. I did a lot to try to apologise to Ian privately. So when you’re seeing a public apology, it’s actually the last resort. But it was a public forum that I spoke about him on, and I felt a public apology was important.”
Wrighty had previously declined to accept Aluko’s social media apology, however Aluko adds: “I respect that. I respect how he feels. it’s really about my apology. That’s all I can do. Then, whenever the person’s ready to have a conversation, I’m ready to have a conversation. But I respect if it’s not the right time, I totally respect that.”
Aluko spoke on the first stage of a High Court libel claim win against Joey Barton, who was also ordered to pay Jeremy Vine legal costs of £200,000 following their libel battle.
“The way to change some of these things in society where women are made to feel they don’t belong in certain spaces is always to speak up about it,” she said. “That’s the only way you change it. If you bury your head in the sand and pretend like it’s not happening, nothing really changes.”
Aluko on having to contact the police after personal abuse on social media had her concerned for her own safety: “The police have been helpful. They understand the impact that online abuse is having in the real world. It’s not unique to me, but it’s the reality, unfortunately. It does affect how people treat you in real life. One of the reasons why I love traveling is the anonymity that comes with it. You can meet new people, have a conversation on the plane, and the person has no idea who you are – and doesn’t judge you for what’s on social media or whatever.”
Eni Aluko QUITS presenting job after being left ‘traumatised’ by fallout with Ian Wright
Ian Wright REJECTS Eni Aluko’s apology as he breaks silence on her accusation
Joey Barton doesn’t hold back in response to being charged by police over tweets about Eni Aluko
