Simon Jordan has disclosed what he said to former Lioness Eni Aluko during a tense off-air moment on talkSPORT, which was captured on camera and went viral. The clip showed Jordan becoming animated with Aluko during an ad break, leading to speculation about the exchange.
During Wednesday's show, Jordan explained that he had told Aluko: 'You were foolish to go for Ian Wright. For whatever reason, he is a national treasure. You are silly to have done that, and it is your own fault. You brought this on yourself.' The remark came amid Aluko's ongoing feuds with Wright and fellow pundit Laura Woods.
On air, Jordan had also criticised Aluko directly, stating: 'I don't think you are particularly enlightening, illuminating, engaging or charismatic.' He accused her of having a sense of entitlement, adding: 'The sheer weight of the entitlement you seem to believe you have would sink the weight of the Titanic.'
Aluko defended herself, saying: 'It's an opinion, which we're all entitled to... I listen to the professionals, the people who have hired me for the last 11 years, the biggest broadcasters in the world.' She argued that working alongside acclaimed broadcasters meant she was 'by default' considered brilliant.
The row stems from Aluko's earlier criticism of Wright for 'blocking pathways' for female broadcasters in women's football, and a subsequent clash with Woods over punditry selections for the Women's European Championship final.
