- Eni Aluko was the first woman to appear as a pundit on BBC Match of the Day
- Saturday marked ten years since Aluko appeared on TV
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Eni Aluko is concerned that not enough women are employed as coaches or presenters in women’s football.
Former Chelsea star Aluko – who earned more than 100 England caps during her playing career – made history in 2014 when she became the first woman to appear as a pundit on BBC Match of the Day.
Since then, many women have followed in her footsteps, with Aluko’s former Lionesses teammate Alex Scott having hosted the show several times.
But Aluko believes there should be more women represented on the expert panels of programs such as Match of the Day, while she also worries that men are now taking over the women’s game when it comes to broadcasting and coaching.
Aluko outlined her thoughts via LinkedIn on Sunday. She responded to a message from Tongue Tied Management on Saturday, marking the 10th anniversary of her Match of the Day debut.
Eni Aluko pictured on her Match of the Day debut 10 years ago in September 2014
Aluko (second from right) appeared alongside John Motson, Mark Chapman and Kevin Kilbane
That statement from Tongue Tied Management read: “10 years ago today, Eniola Aluko MBE made history by becoming the first woman to be a pundit on Match of the Day.
‘As an agency we had been pushing for this for years and Tongue Tied Management’s very own Jo Tongue MBE worked hard behind the scenes to make this possible.
‘Since then, Eni has paved the way for female involvement in the men’s game, both in science and commentary. A huge shout out to BBC, ITV, Sky, Amazon Prime and TNT Sports for continuing to support women in the men’s game.
‘There is still a long way to go, but we are so proud of what Eni has achieved so far.’
Aluko responded by writing: ‘Forever grateful to Jo Tongue MBE & Tongue Tied Management for the love and respect for being recognized 10 years since I first appeared on Match of the Day as the first female footballer to appear on MOTD . Jo and I felt that women should have a prominent voice in football.
“I would love to say that in ten years we will have made progress in terms of women in football broadcasting. In some ways we have gone backwards.”
Aluko pictured at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where she worked for ITV Sport
Former England star Aluko pictured at the Shein Women’s Football Awards earlier this year
Aluko then went on to list her concerns by adding, “1. There are still only one or two maximum regular expert spots for women at various broadcasters. Fyi Experts and Presenters are two different roles.
‘2. Men now dominate broadcasting (and coaching) in the women’s game as more money has become available. This also applies to male agents with exploitative, financially driven agendas within women’s football who demand 20% commissions on salaries that are nowhere near the level of men’s football. Women can never dominate the men’s game in the same way.
‘3. Sexism, misogyny and racism are still rife within football fan culture. Some football broadcasters must quickly improve their duty of care to pundits who encounter such abuse. Sexism, misogyny and racism are not part of the job.
‘There is still a long way to go.’