Eni Aluko says men have taken over women’s football

Eni Aluko says men have started to “dominate” coaching and broadcasting in women’s football since she became the first female Match of the Day pundit.

A decade after Aluko broke one of the remaining glass ceilings in men’s football, he lamented that the sport had subsequently “taken steps backwards” in key areas.

The former Chelsea and England star used her LinkedIn profile to analyze the state of women’s participation in coaching and broadcasting, in response to a post to mark her 10th anniversary debut on the BBC’s flagship football show.

This post from talent agency Tongue Tied Management said: “10 years ago today, Eniola Aluko MBE made history by becoming the first woman to serve as an expert on Match of the Day.

“As an agency we had been pushing for this for years and Jo Tongue MBE from Tongue Tied Management worked hard behind the scenes to make it happen.

“Since then, Eni has paved the way for women’s participation in men’s football, both in the specialist literature and in the commentary. A huge thank you to BBC, ITV, Sky, Amazon Prime and TNT Sports for their continued support of women in men’s football.

“There is still a long way to go, but we are so proud of what Eni has achieved so far.”

Aluko responded in writing: “Forever grateful to Jo Tongue MBE & Tongue Tied Management for the love and respect that I have recognized 10 years since my first appearance on Match of the Day as the first female footballer to join MOTD.” Jo and I were convinced that women should have a prominent voice in football.

“I would like to be able to say that in 10 years we have made progress in terms of women in football broadcasting. In some ways we have taken a step backwards.”

Aluko then went on to list where the game fell short: “1. Several channels still only have a maximum of one or two regular expert spots for women. FYI: Experts and moderators are two different roles.

“2. Men now dominate broadcasting (and coaching) in women’s football because there is more money available. These include male agents with exploitative, financially motivated agendas in women’s football, demanding 20% ​​commissions on salaries that are nowhere near the level of men’s football. Women can never dominate men’s football in the same way.

“3. Sexism, misogyny and racism are still widespread in football fan culture. Some football broadcasters need to quickly improve their duty of care towards professionals who experience such abuse. Sexism, misogyny and racism are not “part of the job”.

“There’s still a long way to go.”

Aluko is regularly the victim of racist and misogynistic insults on social media. Joey Barton will stand trial next year for a malicious communications offense against Aluko. Barton pleaded not guilty in connection with the X-posts that compared her and colleague Lucy Ward to notorious serial killers Fred and Rose West.

Aluko also sued Barton for alleged defamation following the posts.