October 1st 2024.
Eni Aluko recently expressed her concerns about the current state of women's football, stating that in some ways, the progress made in the past decade has taken a step backwards. As one of the first female pundits on Match of the Day ten years ago, Aluko has witnessed the sport evolve and grow, but also noticed some concerning trends.
According to Aluko, there has been a shift in the broadcasting and coaching landscape of women's football, with men now dominating these roles. This is a stark contrast to a decade ago when Aluko made history as the first female pundit on Match of the Day. She believes that the influx of money into the women's game has led to men taking over the coverage and coaching, leaving limited opportunities for female experts to have a prominent voice.
Furthermore, Aluko highlighted the ongoing issues of sexism, misogyny, and racism within football fan culture. She urged broadcasters to take responsibility and improve their duty of care towards pundits, who often face abuse, especially on social media platforms. As someone who has worked for various sports channels, including BBC, ITV, and TNT Sports, Aluko knows firsthand the challenges and obstacles faced by female broadcasters.
Despite the progress made in the past decade, Aluko believes that there is still a long way to go in terms of women's involvement in football broadcasting. She thanked her talent agency, Tongue Tied Management, for their continuous support and efforts in promoting female representation in the men's game. However, Aluko also pointed out the areas where the sport is falling short, such as the limited number of regular punditry spots for women across different broadcasters and the dominance of men in these roles due to financial reasons.
Aluko also touched upon the alarming issue of online abuse, which she personally experienced at the start of the year. She revealed that she felt genuinely scared and even had to change her plans and leave her house due to the severity of the threats she received. Aluko emphasized that online abuse has a direct impact on one's safety and well-being, and it is not something that should be accepted or normalized as part of the job. She also shared her disappointment in the lack of support and protection from broadcasters towards their pundits.
In conclusion, Aluko expressed her gratitude towards her talent agency for acknowledging her milestone of being the first female footballer to appear on Match of the Day. However, she also stressed the pressing need for further progress and support for women in football broadcasting. As she aptly stated, there is still a long way to go, but Aluko remains determined to use her platform and voice to bring about positive change in the sport.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
