Eni Aluko Responds to Laura Woods After ITV Host Criticizes 'Damaging' Punditry Remarks

Eni Aluko has countered Laura Woods and maintained that women should be the "primary presence" in coverage of women's football.

The former Lionesses striker, 38, who earned 105 caps, criticized the BBC and ITV for overlooking her and Fara Williams for punditry positions during the Women's Euros final last summer.

ITV presenter Woods replied by stating that "caps do not guarantee automatic roles," while strongly implying that Aluko is not highly regarded as a pundit.

However, the ex-Chelsea player has reaffirmed her stance by suggesting that female pundits should be prioritized over figures like Ian Wright and BBC analyst Nedum Onuoha.

In a statement provided to talkSPORT, Aluko said: "I respect Laura's opinion, as I always have. For 11 years, I have worked alongside Laura and others considered among the top pundits in football. Clearly, I was also viewed as one of the best, given I was part of the same broadcasting teams. No one who has ever employed me as a pundit has said I lacked quality or the attributes Laura mentioned. On the contrary."

"I believe women's football should emphasize women as the leading voices of the sport—it's straightforward. I think women should be the dominant force in the women's game, just as men are in the men's game. This means men should assume more of a supporting role. No one is suggesting excluding men, but the roles should be clearly defined. That is my point—and people are free to disagree while respecting my right to an opinion."

Aluko participated in ITV's coverage during the Women's Euros but was omitted from the final broadcast, along with her former teammate Williams. Instead, the network featured Wright, Emma Hayes, and Karen Carney.

Aluko contended that she and Williams, the most-capped Lioness with 172 appearances, would have been more suitable choices.

Woods, 38, responded on social media, emphasizing that punditry involves more than just an international playing career and praising ITV's work during the tournament.

She posted on X: "Caps don’t guarantee automatic work, and they don’t make an outstanding pundit either. What makes a brilliant pundit is how you communicate, articulate ideas, conduct research, inform your audience, your likability, and the chemistry you share with your panel."

"'The women’s game should be by women for women' is one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard. It will not only hold women’s sport back but also set back women’s punditry across all forms of the game. 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."

"Here’s a picture of our team at ITV. We received the best production award at the Broadcast Sport Awards 2025 for our coverage of the Women’s Euros. Seb Hutchinson also won best commentator. So I believe ITV made the right choices."