Eni Aluko left out of ITV’s star-studded World Cup team after Ian Wright fallout and rejected apology

ITV are preparing for an aggressive World Cup coverage push and will reportedly operate from a dedicated studio in New York overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline throughout the tournament. The broadcaster’s approach sharply contrasts with the BBC’s more limited plans, with reports suggesting the BBC will not operate a United States studio and are not expected to send several of their top pundits to the tournament until the quarter-final stage.That approach was also criticised publicly by former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who reportedly described the BBC setup as “a green box in Salford,” according to the Daily Mail. ITV, meanwhile, will broadcast 51 matches during the tournament and have assembled one of their deepest punditry teams in recent years. Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods are expected to front the coverage, with Pougatch taking the lead on England matches. Alongside Neville, Keane, Wright and Vieira, ITV have also confirmed the involvement of Emma Hayes, Karen Carney, Duncan Ferguson, Juan Mata, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Jobi McAnuff. The commentary roster includes Sam Matterface, Jon Champion, Seb Hutchinson and Joe Speight, while co-commentary duties will be shared by Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist, Andros Townsend and Lucy Ward. Gabriel Clarke and Connie McLaughlin will work as reporters, while Christina Unkel has been included as the network’s referee expert. ITV also plan to lean heavily into on-location cultural coverage around the tournament through additional programming fronted by Adam Richman of Man v. Food fame alongside co-host Semra Hunter. The renewed focus on Aluko’s broadcasting future comes directly after the fallout caused by comments she made last year regarding Wright’s role within women’s football coverage. Speaking during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, Aluko accused Wright of “dominating” broadcasting opportunities within women’s football and suggested his continued involvement in the women’s game indirectly blocked opportunities for female pundits trying to establish themselves. The comments generated immediate backlash because Wright has long been viewed as one of the sport’s most vocal and consistent supporters of women’s football, regularly promoting the women’s game long before its recent commercial growth. Aluko later attempted to walk back the criticism and issued a public apology. She described Wright as “a brilliant broadcaster and a role model” while withdrawing the earlier comments. Despite the apology, Wright later addressed the situation publicly on social media and made clear he was unwilling to accept it. The former Arsenal striker admitted he had been deeply disappointed by Aluko’s remarks and rejected the attempt to repair the relationship publicly. That response ensured the story continued dominating discussion across football broadcasting circles for weeks afterwards, particularly because both figures had previously worked together regularly on major football coverage. ITV have not publicly linked Aluko’s omission from their World Cup team to the controversy. However, the contrast between Wright retaining a central role in the broadcaster’s tournament coverage while Aluko has been completely left out has already become one of the biggest talking points surrounding ITV’s World Cup plans.