Associate consultant and footballer Eniola Aluko heads to Russia
A lawyer at elite magic circle player Slaughter and May is part of ITV’s World Cup punditry team in Russia, Legal Cheek can reveal.
Eniola Aluko, an associate consultant in Slaughters’ corporate team, is set to join regular pundits Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Lee Dixon in ITV’s studio in Moscow later today. The World Cup officially gets underway this afternoon with the hosts Russia taking on Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium.
According to her LinkedIn, Aluko studied law at Brunel University London before going on to complete the accelerated Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law (now The University of Law) in Moorgate. Law Society records show the 31-year-old qualified as a solicitor in 2015.
Law aside, Aluko is also an incredibly successful footballer. Having joined Birmingham City Ladies aged 15, the hot-shot striker went on to play for a plethora of clubs including Charlton Athletic, Saint Louis Athletica and Chelsea. Aluko — who played at international level for both England and Team GB — recently signed for Italian giants Juventus.
Having flown out to Russia earlier this week, Nigerian-born Aluko wasted no time in soaking up the pre-tournament atmosphere:
The World cup is here!!! Amazing atmosphere building here in Moscow. Catch me with Ryan Giggs & @JacquiOatley on @itvfootball for the opening game Russia v Saudia Arabia from 2.30pm (UK)
⚽️???? pic.twitter.com/Ke1vf56GCa— Eniola Aluko (@EniAlu) June 14, 2018
Last year, Aluko was involved in a high-profile discrimination case against former England women’s manager Mark Sampson. The Football Association issued an apology to Aluko in October for “racially discriminatory remarks” made by Sampson in 2014.