Eni Aluko says the recent online attacks from Joey Barton have led to her leaving the country.
Barton has made a number of rants against several female former players, pundits and commentators covering men’s football in recent months.
His latest attack was aimed at former England and Chelsea star Aluko, as well as talkSPORT’s Lucy Ward ahead of Everton’s FA Cup third-round tie at Crystal Palace, which was broadcast on ITV.
Former Manchester City player Barton claimed the broadcaster reached a ‘new low’ but the flashpoint of his rant saw him bizarrely compare Aluko and Ward to Fred and Rose West.
The Wests murdered 12 women and young girls over the course of 20 years. Fred took his own life before facing trial while Rose was sentenced to ten life terms and remains in prison aged 70.
“Now, I’m open and honest and I’m human and I’m more than happy to admit: I’ve been scared this week,” Aluko said in a video on her social media.
“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.”
Sports minister Stuart Andrew labelled Barton’s comments as ‘dangerous and disgusting’ and vowed to put more pressure on social media companies.
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.”
It’s been reported that Aluko and Ward could be seeking legal advice after being compared to the Wests.
“How is she even talking about Men’s football,” Barton wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter in December.
“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 came out in support of Aluko and Ward in a stern response to Barton’s comments, which read: “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.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
