Laura Woods attacks former friend Eni Aluko for suggesting the women’s game should be gatekept during ongoing punditry controversy in England

Eni Aluko has never been shy about protecting women’s football.

As a former England international with over 100 caps, she believes the sport was built through years of struggle, when the money and recognition simply weren’t there.

That’s why she has argued that women should now be the ones front and centre, especially when it comes to major punditry roles during big tournaments.

Her most controversial claim is that women’s football needs to be “gatekept,” meaning the biggest opportunities should primarily go to women, not men.

She even stated that the women’s game should be “by women, for women,” a line that immediately sparked outrage across football broadcasting.

Why Ian Wright Became Part of the Argument

Ian Wright is one of the most recognisable faces in football media and is widely respected as a passionate supporter of the women’s game.

He has regularly praised the Lionesses, covered major women’s tournaments, and been seen as a strong male ally.

But Aluko believes his presence highlights a wider imbalance.

In her view, when men take key roles in women’s football coverage, it can reduce the already limited space available for former female players trying to establish themselves as pundits.

She pointed to the Women’s Euros final last summer as an example, saying she and Farah Williams were sitting in the stands while male pundits were part of the main panels.

To her, that moment symbolised something deeper still being wrong.

Laura Woods Steps In With a Blunt Warning

Laura Woods, one of ITV’s leading presenters, didn’t hold back when she responded publicly.

She argued that punditry isn’t earned simply through the number of caps someone has.

For Woods, what matters is how well a pundit communicates, how much research they do, how they connect with audiences, and how strong the panel dynamic is.

Woods called Aluko’s “by women, for women” phrase one of the most damaging things she’s heard, warning that it risks pushing women’s sport backwards rather than forwards.

Her view is that the women’s game grows through inclusion, not exclusion, and that having men like Ian Wright visibly invested encourages more men and boys to take women’s football seriously too.

The Real Issue Underneath: Limited Seats at the Top

At the heart of all this is a truth that nobody can ignore.

There are only so many premium broadcasting roles available.

Finals, Euros, World Cups, the biggest studio seats are rare, and for many former players, those roles represent the peak of their post-playing careers.

Aluko’s frustration comes from feeling that women don’t get the same access to those top moments, even in women’s football, while men dominate coverage in the men’s game almost entirely.

She has also pointed out that female pundits rarely get invited into major men’s finals, meaning women can feel boxed into one side of the sport, while men can move across both.

A Feud That Still Hasn’t Been Resolved

This tension didn’t begin this week.

Last year, Aluko suggested Wright needed to recognise how much space he was taking up in women’s football coverage.

She later apologised, but Wright did not accept the apology.

Aluko now claims that refusal contributed to her being targeted publicly and that she has not worked alongside him since.

She says she remains open to having a proper conversation, but the fallout continues to linger, and the debate keeps resurfacing in louder ways.

Women’s Football Is Growing, and So Are the Politics Around It

This clash comes at a moment when women’s football is booming in England.

It is no longer a niche space, but a mainstream product with global audiences.

That shift creates a tricky crossroads.

On one hand, women deserve recognition, space, and reward for building the sport.

On the other hand, the game’s future depends on attracting everyone, including men, boys, and wider audiences who help it expand.

The sport is growing fast, but the politics of who gets the spotlight are growing just as quickly.

What’s Next?

This debate isn’t going away soon.

Broadcasters will continue making high-profile decisions about who sits on the biggest panels, and those choices will remain under intense scrutiny.

The bigger question is whether women’s football can find the balance between protecting opportunities for women and embracing the inclusivity needed for long-term growth.

And whether Aluko and Wright ever manage the honest conversation she wants may determine whether this becomes a lasting feud or a moment the sport learns from.

Summary

Eni Aluko has sparked fresh controversy by calling for women’s football to be “gatekept” and arguing that women should have priority in top punditry roles.

Laura Woods has strongly pushed back, saying that kind of thinking risks dragging women’s sport backwards by limiting inclusion.

Underneath the row is a real issue about scarce high-profile broadcasting opportunities, lingering inequality, and the growing pains of a sport moving rapidly into the mainstream.

The tension with Ian Wright remains unresolved, and the conversation about representation in women’s football is only getting louder.