Eni Aluko says via her Instagram that she’s left the country and is ‘genuinely scared’ after online abuse from Joey Barton.
The 36 year old pundit has spoken out for the first time on video after Joey Barton ranted against several female former players, pundits and commentators having a role in the coverage and analysis of men’s football over the past few months.
He recently took aim at Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, during ITV’s coverage of an FA Cup Third Round clash between Crystal Palace and Everton, with Joey Barton saying that the broadcaster reached a ‘new low’, and then said the two females were “the Fred and Rose West of football commentary”.
Fred and Rose West murdered 12 women and young girls across a period of 20 years with Fred going on to take his own life before facing trial while Rose was sentenced to 10 life terms and still remains in prison at the age of 70.
How is she even talking about Men’s football. She can’t even kick a ball properly. 🤯💩
Your coverage of the game EFC last night, took it to a new low.
Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, the Fred and Rose West of football commentary. 👍 https://t.co/oAyMjHhR8A
— 👑 Joey Barton 👑 (@Joey7Barton) January 5, 2024
A message from ITV Sport. pic.twitter.com/6To8BkNWc1
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 5, 2024
On reflection, I feel I’ve been a tad harsh on Eni Aluko by comparing her to Rose West.
Had a bit of time to consider the impact of my words after @itvfootball big statement.
She’s clearly in the Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category. 👍
She’s murdered hundreds of thousands if not… https://t.co/jX9XpFyAVq
— 👑 Joey Barton 👑 (@Joey7Barton) January 7, 2024
In a video upload to Instagram on Tuesday, Eni Aluko said: “Now, I’m open and honest and I’m human and I’m more than happy to admit: I’ve been scared this week.
‘I’ve genuinely been scared this week. I didn’t leave my house until Friday and I’m now abroad. Because it’s really important to say that online abuse has a direct impact on your safety and how you feel and how safe you feel in real life.
“I’ve felt under threat this week. I’ve felt like something is going to happen to me. And I don’t say that for anyone to feel sorry for me – I say that for people to understand the reality and the impact that hate speech has. The impact that racism has. The impact that sexism has. The impact that misogyny has on all of us females in the game [and] in sports broadcasting.
“That’s the real impact – and it’s not an isolated incident, this is now showing up as a culture in the game, from certain fan bases and certain people.
“They’re creating a culture where people don’t want to go to work, people don’t want to leave their house, people feel under threat. Obviously there’s a big impact on mental health as well.”
This caught Joey Barton’s attention, and he replied: “Cry me a fucking river… I was waiting for the victim card to be played. Eni, sorry luv, you’re dreadful as a pundit. Tone deaf, can’t count and most importantly you know next to nothing about men’s football. You should have ran off to a desert island after your ‘Arteta phoning Pep to put a bid’ in nonsense. Everyone is laughing at you. 👍 Not just me. 👑
“What surprised me the most is all her colleagues and peers saying she was ‘smashing it to her face. Done well to keep a straight face the fella. 🥷 Someone’s a bad baldy tire. 🤣 Meritocracy Rules 👑”
Britain’s sports minister Stuart Andrew has already said that he would be putting pressure on social media companies to take action over Joey Barton’s ‘dangerous and disgusting comments’.
Speaking at a Department for Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday, he said: “These are dangerous comments that open the floodgates for abuse and that’s not acceptable.
“I’m slightly wary that these sort of people want the oxygen and I don’t want to fuel that.”
He adds that broadcast regulator Ofcom was also obliged to issue guidance under the new Online Safety Act.
The Telegraph also reported this week that both Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward are now seeking legal advice after Joey Barton wrote via Twitter in December 2023: How is she even talking about Men’s football. She can’t even kick a ball properly. Your coverage of the game EFC last night, took it to a new low. Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, the Fred and Rose West of football commentary.”
ITV issued a statement, saying: “For Joey Barton, an ex-professional player with a significant social media presence, to target two of our pundits, Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, with such vindictive remarks based on gender and to invoke the names of serial killers in doing so is clearly contemptible and shameful on his part.”
Aluko seemingly confirmed that she is getting legal advice, adding: “I’ve seen a lot of stuff mentioned this week around freedom of speech and people being entitled to their opinions and the reality is that our freedom of speech isn’t really free.
“Our speech isn’t really free and neither is our opinion, because depending on what you say, there are laws that govern that opinion and that freedom of speech. That’s not something that happened this week – that’s always been the case.
“If you come out and are racist, or sexist or misogynistic and threaten people online, there are laws for that and that govern that behaviour. It’s not free. It’s not freedom of consequences, either.
“There are consequences for that. And over the past week I’ve taken advice from lawyers and a course of action has now been decided upon.”
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Cry me a fucking river…
I was waiting for the victim card to be played.
Eni, sorry luv, you’re dreadful as a pundit.
Tone deaf, can’t count and most importantly you know next to nothing about men’s football.
You should have ran off to a desert island after your ‘Arteta… pic.twitter.com/uc4tbzrLdv
— 👑 Joey Barton 👑 (@Joey7Barton) January 17, 2024
Here’s how fans reacted as Eni Aluko says she’s left the country and is ‘genuinely scared’ after abuse from Joey Barton…
@cleeve_matt: Harry Maguire would be able to sue half the planet if insults weren’t allowed
@RaffUpNorth: Imagine “fleeing” the country because Joey Barton has said your not very good at punditry.
@jojoloveridge: I’m not surprised. Poor woman. The pile ons Barton instigated have been shocking.
@MouseKingSteven: Disagree with some things he says obviously but he’s 100% right about aluko
@AdamWorthingto2: Surely it’s the broadcasters fault for putting under qualified presenters in this position
@THFC_OLAS: Sky, BBC and ITV to blame for this fallout. She should not have been anywhere near a camera…
@VillaWill84: This is a dangerous move. Any half-decent judge will rule that, whilst @Joey7Barton ’s delivery may not be to everybody’s taste, the facts are undeniable. There is nothing liable in what he says and neither can claim that he has damaged their reputations as they don’t have one
@Mikec81united: Sorry she hasn’t helped herself here. Barton was well out of order calling a member of the ‘wests. Tbh my preference is I don’t like her commentary but then I don’t like certain male commentators either. But being abroad and saying she fears for her life really 🤷
@baggytb: So she doesn’t value our opinion of a job we’ve never done before but expects us to value her opinion of something she’s never done before? All for female pundits, Emma Hayes is one of the best pundits out there, but this is poor. Don’t agree with the abuse she gets either
@harrop: So she doesn’t value people’s opinions who haven’t done what she does in tv work 🤔so that’s just what @Joey7Barton is saying she shouldn’t be talking about the men’s game because she doesn’t play it
@96LeedsAlex: Joey Barton is a bellend but fuck me she really doesn’t help her own case does she
@Thomrangaking: These poor girls have been fed to the wolves by the TV companies. They will prob win in court because you aren’t supposed to criticise the woke movement. The public know who’s right and wrong.
@RossLee_: He’s said she’s a shit pundit and she’s left the country 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@Mandy_Rarsh_: I almost feel sorry for her. I bet she hasn’t been given any honest or constructive feedback on her punditry, just told it’s great and anyone who disagrees is a racist misogynist. How is she meant to improve?
@robbsonco: If anyone said ‘we think your struggling’ over the past 10 years would have been instant outcry of accusations of racism or misogyny, which is where the problem is. No-one can simply tell someone they’re shit any more – so people don’t accept that they are.
@SteveK157DFC: Where Eni falls down in here argument is that she says she doesn’t value the opinions of those who haven’t’ “been a pundit”. Well isn’t that the same argument for those who haven’t played a type of football (in this case the men’s game)? Hard to have it both ways.
@CDriscoll99: Only accepting feedback from peers, is a bad take. You don’t have to check a weather report to see it’s raining outside. Plus, peers who have negative opinions, are not going to voice them. They’d be out of a job and vilified.
@HiMyName1sMike: I don’t agree with Joey Barton in general, however he’s right about Eni Aluko & it’s not because she’s a woman, I feel the same way about Paul Merson for example. People who can’t speak clearly & are inarticulate shouldn’t be presenters on TV.
@JDSummerfields: In fear of what exactly people telling her she’s awful pundit??
@Rossco810106: The irony is she’s saying ‘I don’t value the opinion of people who haven’t done it’ Which is the exact same point people are making about her opinion on the men’s game 🤣🤷🏻♂️
@JakeW2311: Blokes a bully. If it’s true then I do feel a a bit sorry for her
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