Aluko Apologises To Wright Over Male Pundit Comments

Former England striker Eni Aluko has apologised to Ian Wright for suggesting he risked blocking female pundits from getting opportunities successful broadcasting.

In an question and reply pinch BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Aluko said there are only a "finite magnitude of opportunities" for women and that Wright needs to return announcement of really overmuch activity he does successful women's football.

The erstwhile Chelsea player, 38, has since faced scrutiny for her comments.

"lan Wright is simply a superb broadcaster and domiciled exemplary whose support for nan women's crippled has been significant," she said successful a connection connected Instagram.

Former Arsenal and England striker Wright has been an advocator for women's football, connected which he has worked regularly arsenic a pundit, pinch peculiar attraction connected Lionesses matches.

"In my question and reply pinch Woman's Hour this week, I was trying to make a broader constituent astir nan constricted opportunities for women successful shot - whether that's successful coaching, broadcasting aliases commercialized spaces - and nan value of creating much abstraction for women to thrive connected and disconnected nan pitch," Aluko said.

"But it was incorrect for lan's sanction to beryllium raised successful that conversation, and for that I sincerely apologise. I've known and worked pinch lan for galore years and person thing but emotion and respect for him."

Aluko has worked alongside Wright arsenic a pundit and said successful her Woman's Hour question and reply he is simply a "brilliant broadcaster" but that he "should beryllium alert of really overmuch he's doing successful nan women's game".

Asked if she thinks it is incorrect for Wright to screen women's football, Aluko said: "I don't cognize astir wrong, but I deliberation we request to beryllium conscious and we request to make judge that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting successful nan women's game.

"It's still new, it's still growing. There's a finite magnitude of opportunities and I deliberation that men request to beryllium alert of that."