ITV slams ‘shameful’ Joey Barton after targeting female football pundits with ‘vindictive’ comments

Taking to X, the former Manchester City and QPR player wrote: “How is she even talking about Men’s football. 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.”

Now ITV has hit back at Joey Barton, calling his comments “shameful”.

A spokesperson from ITV Sport said: “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.

“Football is for everyone.”

Aluko and Ward were reporting on Crystal Palace’s 0-0 draw with Everton in the third round of the FA Cup on Thursday evening.

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Barton has since responded to ITV’s statement, saying: “Shut up you F****** idiots. Keep them off the tele. They’re ruining the game for everyone of us.

“It’s what happens when you force underqualified, under-prepared, tokenistic people onto us. I will be calling them all serial killers from now on.

“Every clip you f****** put out. Told you, I don’t care anymore. We’ve all had enough of your ‘Woke’, ‘DEI’ bullshit.

“I hope everyone who agrees with me, gets right after your social media every time you force this nonsense on us. I tried to play nice, you didn’t listen.”

The 41-year-old has been criticised for a number of comments made against presenters.

This includes calling Stephen Howson, a presenter and British army veteran, “fat” and criticising Sports Personality of the Year winner Mary Earps, calling her win “more f***ing nonsense.”

He previously said: “Any man who listens to women’s commentary or co-comms needs their heads testing…”