Ian Wright issued a defiant statement as he made his return to Lioness punditry duty for their Euro semi-final against Italy following his heated row with Eni Aluko.
The Arsenal legend was not included in ITV’s original tournament coverage but took his place on the line-up set to be part of the broadcaster’s punditry team on Tuesday night.
The 61-year-old was be joined by former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, ex-England star Karen Carney and presenter Laura Woods as England prepared to take on Italy at the Stade de Geneve in a bid to reach a second consecutive Euro final.
Despite not being involved in the tournament’s coverage initially, Wright, a long-time supporter of the women’s game, has covered Euro 2025 alongside ex-England captain Steph Houghton on his Crossways podcast.
His involvement in the semi-final was the first time he has appeared as a pundit for the Lionesses since Eni Aluko accused him of ‘blocking’ opportunities for female presenters.
But Wright is now back covering the England women’s team, and made it clear he was always going to be.
Ian Wright made his ITV return for England’s European Championship semi-final game against Italy on Tuesday
Wright covered his first women’s game since Eni Aluko accused him of ‘blocking’ female pundits
He was joined by Karen Carney (centre) and Laura Woods (right) – the latter saying there was a ‘special man for a special occasion’
Wright didn’t accept Aluko’s apology after she said he was ‘blocking opportunities’ for women
‘I was in the middle of the Asian see, taking it easy,’ Wright began with a beaming smith across his face. ‘Then England stumbled into the semis.
‘I had to be here, I’m not missing England at this stage of the competition.’
Presenter Laura Woods had initially said: ‘I’m rather delighted to have our old friend Ian Wright back in the fold. A special man for a special occasion.’
In April, Aluko said Wright needed to be aware of ‘how much he’s doing in the women’s game,’ and that his presence has made it tougher for female pundits trying to find a spot in the industry.
‘I’ve worked with Ian a long time and, you know, I think he’s a brilliant broadcaster, but I think he’s aware of just how much he’s doing in the women’s game. I think he should be aware of that,’ she told Radio Four’s Women’s Hour at the time.
‘We need to be conscious and we need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting in the women’s game.’
Aluko, who made 105 appearances for the Lionesses in a 12-year international career, later apologised to Wright.
But the former Arsenal and Crystal Palace striker said he couldn’t accept her apology.
Former England star Aluko apologised for her words, but Wright said he could not accept
Weeks on, however, Wright was all smiles as he joined the punditry team for England’s game against Italy
Aluko made 105 appearances in a 12-year international career and then went into punditry
The former England forward took to Instagram to issue a lengthy apology to co-pundit Wright
‘I’ve got to say, I’m very disappointed about what Eni has said, she knows how I’ve helped her, supported her publicly, and I know the previous conversations she’s had with me and my management,’ he said.
Last week, Aluko admitted she was wrong to suggest Wright has blocked opportunities for female pundits and that she respects his decision to refuse her public apology, while insisting she made efforts to make peace with him in private.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror, she said: ‘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.
‘I respect that,’ she said regarding his refusal to accept her apology. ‘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.’
In her Women’s Hour interview in April, Aluko also said: ‘The fact of the matter is, there is a limited amount of spaces available. If we had a situation where there was an equal opportunity in the men’s game for broadcasters and coaches that there is in the women’s game, it’s a free for all.
‘But that’s not the case. I can’t dominate the men’s game in the way that, you know, you used Ian as an example.’
When asked to clarify if she thinks it is wrong for Wright, 61, to be a figure at the forefront of coverage of women’s football, Aluko added: ‘I don’t know about wrong, but I think we need to be conscious and we need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting in the women’s game.
Wright previously addressed the apology and and said he wanted to ‘move on’ from the saga
He was in Switzerland for the match, saying: ‘I’m not missing England at this stage of the competition’
‘It’s still new, it’s still growing. There’s a finite amount of opportunities and I think that men need to be aware of that.
‘Men need to be aware that, you know, you’re in a growing sport, a growing sport for women, and we haven’t always had these opportunities, and so it’s about the awareness and supporting other women through that pathway.’
