Now Joey Barton says he ‘feels SORRY’ for ITV football pundit Eni Aluko before suggesting she ‘can’t count’ and ‘shouldn’t be in her position’ as he calls for TV execs to take her off-air

Joey Barton has called on TV executives to take female pundits off air and continued his onslaught of criticism of Eni Aluko, suggesting she ‘can’t count’ and ‘pity’ her.

Barton has been widely condemned – even by Rishi Sunak – for his attacks on female experts, even going so far as to invoke the names of serial killers Fred and Rose West when making vindictive comments online.

Aluko said she had been “really scared” to leave her home after Barton’s rants and had resurfaced in Ivory Coast.

The former British star turned broadcaster was a top target of the 41-year-old and he spoke about her again at his Common sense podcast.

He said: “Even Eni Aluko said this week that she was afraid to leave the house, I have to take that at face value.

Eni Aluko (left) and Lucy Ward (right) have reportedly sought legal advice over Joey Barton’s social media attacks after he compared the experts to serial killers Fred and Rose West

‘I think she has been a very good women’s football player, let’s be honest: she shouldn’t talk about the men’s game, she has had plenty of opportunities and she has not improved.

‘For me to hear her say in the video this week that her peers are telling her she’s doing really well… okay, it’s not her fault then she’s clearly not getting the right training or help to get better or the right constructive feedback loops.’

Barton went on to say that female experts should not be on air for the sake of their own mental health.

He continued: “I don’t blame Eni and I don’t blame any of the girls, but if I’m an advocate for men’s mental health, we need to think about the mental health of young women too. It is beneficial for these young ex-female footballers that they are in positions and have to shut down their social media feeds because of the amount of abuse they receive for not knowing their onions.”

Barton then suggested Aluko ‘can’t count’, seemingly referencing a clip that went viral on social media of her pundit during the 2022 World Cup, when she said: ‘Richarlison is the top scorer for Brazil over the last two years, he has a great record, 19 goals in 40 appearances. Do the math and it’s about one goal per game.’

She later responded to the backlash, saying: “I got a first class law degree, 102 caps and a PhD, but maths wasn’t always my forte.

‘Almost one in two matches is Richarlison’s calculation. But some of you weirdo twitterati already knew that. Could also learn from the rest of the analysis that is conveniently ignored.”

Barton appeared to refer to the blunder, adding: “The boys can’t get on with it, if you can’t count, do basic arithmetic and if you can’t describe what a lot of boys actually see, they’ll getting frustrated and saying stupid things on social media and I don’t think it’s fair to the girls but they shouldn’t be in that position.

‘Whose responsibility lies then? Is it up to the social media companies to block out the noise? Is it the broadcaster’s job to get these people off the screens?’

Barton expressing his condolences to Aluko after fanning the flames of online abuse was a point the ex-Bristol Rovers boss appeared to have lost.

His tone also seemed to have changed with his immediate response to Aluko saying she was afraid to leave home and resurfaced in Ivory Coast.

He previously tweeted: ‘Cry me after the river… I was waiting for the victim card to be played.

“Eni, sorry honey, you’re such a terrible expert. Tone deaf, can’t count and most importantly you know next to nothing about men’s football.

‘You should have fled to a desert island after your ‘Arteta calling Pep to make a bid’ nonsense.

‘Everyone laughs at you. Not just me.’

Barton added in another post: ‘What surprised me most was all her colleagues and colleagues saying it ‘slapped her in the face.’

“It’s a good job keeping a straight face, dude. Someone has a bad, bald tire. Meritocracy rules.”

In a video message, Aluko responded to Barton’s rants, including one directed at her and Lucy Ward when they appeared on ITV’s coverage of the FA Cup third round between Crystal Palace and Everton.

ITV slammed Joey Barton’s criticism of Aluko and Ward as ‘shameful’ and ‘despicable’

Barton – whose former teammate Nedum Onuoha recently described him as a bully – claimed the broadcaster had reached a “new low” and then compared Aluko and Ward to the Wests, who murdered 12 women and young girls over the course of 20 years.

“Now I’m open and honest, I’m human and I’m happy to admit: I’ve been scared this week,” Aluko said.

‘I’ve been really scared this week. I only left home on Friday and am now abroad. Because it is very 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 felt threatened this week. I feel like something is going to happen to me. And I don’t say that to get people to feel sorry for me. I say that to help people understand the reality and impact of hate speech.”

According to the Telegraph, Aluko and Lucy Ward have sought legal advice following Barton’s posts.

Barton doubled down on his mean joke about Fred and Rose West, writing, “On second thought, I feel like I’ve been a little harsh on Eni Aluko by comparing her to Rose West,” Barton wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

British Sports Secretary Stuart Andrew has called the comments “dangerous and disgusting.”

‘I had some time to think about the impact of my words after @itvfootball’s big statement.

‘She clearly falls into the Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category. She has killed hundreds of thousands of football fans’ ears in recent years. Meritocracy rules!’

British Sports Secretary Stuart Andrew has branded Barton ‘dangerous and disgusting’, while Prime Minister Sunak called him ‘utterly ridiculous’.