Simon Jordan rips into Eni Aluko while sat next to her amid row over male and female pundits
Simon Jordan has ripped into Eni Aluko, insisting she’s not ‘particularly enlightening, illuminating, engaging or charismatic’, while sat next to the former England Lionesses star.
Aluko recently caused fury on social media by suggesting that men shouldn’t be working in big roles within women’s football.
She particularly angered fans by naming Ian Wright, who she’d previously accused of taking opportunities away from female pundits despite the ex-Arsenal and Crystal Palace star helping to grow the game.
Aluko, after venting her frustration at Wright and Nedum Onuoha being chosen to work as pundits for the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 final win over Spain last year, also said that the women’s game needed to be ‘gatekept’.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Tuesday morning, Aluko sought to clarify her controversial comments.
“I think it’s more about clarifying and saying look, I think 270 caps represent experience and the insight you can bring to the game,” she said.
“What I wasn’t saying is that 270 caps justifies an instant pick, of course, you need a skillset to be a pundit.
Eni Aluko sought to clarify her comments while appearing on talkSPORT
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talkSPORT
“The point I was trying to make is, that in women’s football, my opinion is that where there’s a choice, I want to see that level of experience on the main panel for women’s football.
“That’s not at the exclusion of Nedum Onuoha or Ian Wright, I’m saying, can we have a situation where women are the main faces of women’s sport and then the men play more of a supporting role?
“That might be…Ian Wright could do 10-minute hits before the game, a bit of colour, bit of context, then back to the main studio and bang, you’ve got the faces of the game, whoever the three female pundits are.”
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Jordan did admit he understood where Aluko was coming from.
However, the former Palace owner then proceeded to criticise the ex-footballer’s punditry skills – insisting that she isn’t the expert she thinks she is, despite the pair being sat directly next to each other.
“I think we live in a society where people don’t have the experience and substance, don’t know what they’re talking about [and are] masquerading as experts,” he said.
“With all due respect to women in men’s football, I think they have zero expertise in men’s football.
“I think they can talk about tactics but the two games are vastly different – the speed, the scale, the pressure, the physicality. They are vastly different games.”
He continued: “I’ve encountered Eni in short form and long form, we had a conversation about the commerciality of football which I thought Eni talked with no commercial sense.
Eni Aluko has sparked controversy with her comments on male pundits working in women’s football
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talkSPORT
“That is my opinion, she probably disagrees.
“I’ve seen her talking on podcasts where she’s ideologically aligned with a perspective that overrepresentation is on merit and underrepresentation is based on structural racism.
“I find that a difficult circle to square.
“As far as expertise is concerned, the times that I’ve listened to her – I don’t think that she’s particularly enlightening, illuminating, engaging or charismatic.
“I don’t think she comes across particularly likeable but that’s my view, but some people have the same view of me.”
