Arsenal legend Ian Wright has been involved in another row with ITV colleague Eni Aluko, who has again claimed women’s football should prioritise using female pundits
18:58, 09 Feb 2026Updated 18:59, 09 Feb 2026
Ian Wright is at the centre of another row regarding the coverage of women’s football(Image: PA)
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has been caught up in yet another row with TV pundit Eli Aluko. ITV host Laura Woods has immediately jumped to Wright’s defence after ex-England star Aluko claimed women’s football should prioritise female pundits to cover games.
Wright is a hugely popular TV host and expert and has championed the women’s game at all levels. In the past, Aluko has even suggested that Wright has jumped on the women’s game and is making a new career out of it.
But, actually, one eagle-eyed Crystal Palace fan has pointed to amazing footage from the build-up to the 1990 FA Cup final when Wright and his teammates went out for their traditional pre-match walkabout in their suits at Wembley before the showdown with Manchester United.
The clip – timed just after 3 mins and 30 secs – clearly shows players from the England Women side, who had beaten Scotland 4-0 at Wembley on the same day, stood by the side of the pitch shout out to Wright. He obviously knows them, goes across and greets them and that underlines his long-held interest and passion for the women’s game.
READ MORE: Laura Woods tears into Eni Aluko in furious rant as TV war blows upREAD MORE: Eni Aluko fires back at Laura Woods as row escalates AGAIN and gets personal
The Palace fan said: “That says everything about Ian and dispels any myth about it – you can see the warmth, respect and admiration. He is the player they know, they respect and it shows, once and for all, that Wrighty has taken a real interest in the women’s game for many, many years. And this proves it.”
It is not the first time that Aluko has taken aim at the coverage of the women’s game and she later apology to Wright which he declined to accept. This time, Aluko criticised ITV ’s picks to cover the women’s game at last year’s women’s final.
Aluko said on the 90s Baby Show podcast: “Last year at the Women’s Lionesses final, I’m sat in the stands, I wasn’t on it for ITV for the final. Farah Williams was next to me. Farah Williams has 170 caps for England.
“The two broadcasters that had the rights, ITV, BBC. On BBC, you’ve got Ellen White, Steph Houghton and Nedum Onuoha. No offence to Nedum Onouha, nothing against him, I don’t know whether he played for England or not. You’re on the main panel for the final for England Women.
Ian Wright and Mark Bright talk to the England Women’s players before the 1990 FA Cup final(Image: YouTube)
“Let’s go over to ITV, I’m in the stands with 105 caps, so you have got two women with 290 caps, something ridiculous right. ITV, it’s Ian Wright, Emma Hayes and Kaz Carney.
“So out of six spots, two have gone to men, meanwhile you have got 290 (caps) sitting in the stands. I have never done a final and I am probably going to struggle to think of any woman, female pundit, who has done a men’s major final.
“I am talking about as a pundit, so something is not right there. Why are people like me and Faz (Fara) not there? It is nothing against Ian and nothing against them, I am just saying broadly speaking we need to be aware of that.”
That has drawn a stinging response from Woods who stood up for her co-host and ITV expert Wright. Woods said on social media: “Caps don’t win automatic work and they don’t make a brilliant pundit either.
Eni Aluko made the comments on a podcast last week(Image: 90s Baby Show)
“The way you communicate, articulate yourself, do your research, inform your audience, how likeable you are and the chemistry you have with your panel are what makes a brilliant pundit.
“‘The women’s game should be by women for women,’ is one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard. It will not only drag women’s sport backwards, it will drag women’s punditry in all forms of the game backwards.
“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 won best production at the Broadcast Sport Awards 2025 for our coverage of the women’s Euros. Seb Hutchinson won best commentator too. So I think ITV got it just right.”
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