Eni Aluko says standing up to Joey Barton has damaged her punditry career

The High Court ruled in favour of Aluko after the initial stage of her libel claim against Barton

Eni Aluko says her career in broadcasting has taken a hit due to her ongoing libel claim against Joey Barton.

The former England striker was targeted by ex-footballer Barton on social media, accusing her of “playing the race card” in light of comments Aluko made in 2020 which appeared to criticise people placed on the government’s furlough scheme.

The High Court ruled in favour of Aluko after the initial stage of her libel claim against the former Newcastle and Manchester City midfielder, although Barton could yet appeal against the verdict.

While welcoming her victory in the first stage, Aluko admits her career as a pundit has been damaged by the case regardless of outcome.

"This happens in lots of industries - when women stand up for themselves, their career takes a hit,” she told the BBC.

"I've been doing broadcasting for 11 years. I'm not new to it. And in the last 18 months I've done the least TV I've ever done. That's just a fact. That's not a feeling, that's an opinion. That's a fact. So I think people can draw their own conclusions from that.

"There is a double standard where there is still a limited amount of opportunities for women, female broadcasters, both in the men's and the women's game.

"We're still competing for two or three seats maximum, which includes the presenters. What the Joey Bartons, and some male football fans, want is for women to get off the TV."

Aluko enjoyed a successful playing career before moving onto a career in broadcasting, scoring 33 goals in 102 appearances for the Lionesses prior to her retirement in 2020.

Former Chelsea and England footballer Eni Aluko outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)

She has since been a regular on ITV and TNT Sports but has been subjected to a torrent of criticism for her punditry, including from Barton, with Aluko claiming that she received threats of violence after the 42-year-old targeted her on X.

Two of Barton’s posts from January 2024 were ruled as defamatory by a judge.

“There's 45 tweets that Joey Barton has tweeted about me,” she added.

"And what that does is it impacts you in real life, where it just feels like a wave of abuse and it feels like you're in a fishbowl. And it means that I'm more self-conscious.

"I don't feel that I can just go out and be free to do what I do. For the first week I was disguising myself and some people think that's over the top, but that's genuinely the impact it had on me."