Former England international Eni Aluko has publicly disclosed the specific reasoning behind ITV's decision to exclude her from their coverage of last summer's UEFA Women's Euro final, while simultaneously including former Arsenal striker Ian Wright. Speaking candidly during an interview on talkSPORT with hosts Jim White and Simon Jordan, Aluko explained that television executives directly informed her that budgetary constraints were the primary factor in their selection process.
The Budgetary Explanation Behind the Punditry Snub
Aluko revealed that ITV producers explicitly told her they were implementing significant budget cuts that necessitated reducing their punditry team from three analysts to just two for the high-profile final between England and Spain. According to Aluko's account, television executives stated clearly that her contract was not considered the priority, while Ian Wright's contractual arrangement took precedence in their financial calculations.
The former Chelsea and Juventus forward emphasized that the decision was never presented as a reflection of her professional capabilities or broadcast quality. "The reason that was given to me was that 'we're cutting budgets and we're reducing from three pundits to two, and your contract isn't the priority, Ian Wright's is,'" Aluko recounted during the radio interview. "That was the reason given to me."
Historical Context of the Professional Disagreement
This revelation follows months of public tension between Aluko and Wright that began in April of last year when Aluko initially accused the former England men's international of potentially blocking opportunities for female pundits through his prominent work covering women's football. Although Aluko subsequently issued an apology for those specific comments, Wright publicly stated he was "disappointed" by her original remarks and declined to accept her apology.
The professional disagreement resurfaced recently when Aluko mentioned on a podcast that both she and fellow former England international Fara Williams had been overlooked for punditry roles during England's Euro 2025 victory over Spain. Instead, broadcasting duties went to Wright for ITV and former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha for the BBC.
Aluko's Professional Track Record and Response
During her talkSPORT appearance, Aluko strongly defended her eleven-year career as a professional football pundit, countering any suggestion that her exclusion resulted from performance concerns. "In the eleven years I've been working as a professional pundit," she stated, "I've never ever had a top producer, a director of TV, anyone, say 'you're not good enough, you're struggling, you can't put your sentences together.'"
Aluko described herself as "the geek that goes to the producer and stats guy" to continually improve her broadcast analysis. She further noted that she possesses numerous text messages and emails from production teams containing supportive feedback about her punditry performances.
When directly questioned by Jim White about whether she had wanted the ITV Euro final punditry role, Aluko confirmed: "Yeah of course, but by the time I worked on the Women's Euros last year we'd already had a conversation that I wouldn't be working with ITV as much, so there was already a conversation about my role changing slightly."
Clarifying the Professional Circumstances
The former Lioness emphasized that while she was disappointed by the decision, she wanted to clarify the circumstances for public understanding. "So to clarify for everybody that just wants to make a conclusion that I'm just not good enough, it's just not the case," she asserted during the broadcast interview.
Aluko's revelations highlight the ongoing challenges and financial pressures within sports broadcasting, particularly concerning gender representation and contractual priorities in football punditry. The situation underscores how budgetary considerations can directly impact personnel decisions even for major international sporting events like the Women's European Championship final.
