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ITV has criticised "vindictive remarks" made by ex-footballer Joey Barton towards Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward.

Aluko was a pundit on ITV's coverage of the FA Cup third-round tie between Crystal Palace and Everton on Thursday, while Ward was the co-commentator.

Barton, 41, compared the pair to serial killers Fred and Rose West on X, formerly known as Twitter.

ITV said the former Manchester City and QPR player's comments were "contemptible and shameful".

In a statement on X, the broadcaster 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."

In response to ITV, Barton wrote an expletive-laden post and said he would be "calling them all serial killers from now on", called the broadcaster "woke" and added: "I tried to play nice, you didn't listen."

Former Chelsea and Juventus forward Aluko won more than 100 England caps before retiring in 2020, while Ward played for Leeds United and Doncaster Belles.

In response to a now-deleted video clip of Aluko's pre-match punditry posted by ITV Football on X, Barton made his comments comparing her and Ward to "the Fred and Rose West of football commentary".

Fred West, together with his wife Rose, murdered an unknown number of people at the couple's house in Gloucester over a 20-year period from 1967.

Responding to ITV's statement, former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, who is now a pundit, wrote on X: "Well done ITV. It's gone too far this and mentioning serial killers is quite simply incredible.

"My daughters have watched Salford City with me for 10 years and like to comment on football, my mum was kicked out of the football team (boys in the 1960's) and stopped playing due to misogyny, my sister struggled for funding for her sport for years and my brother [Phil] was mocked when he took over the England women's team. I come from a family that has fought these issues for years and I've witnessed it first hand.

"All this does is just discourage and it's not the way forward.

"It's bloody hard work for women to succeed in sport and media as it is, without this stuff."

Since last month, Barton, who was sacked as Bristol Rovers manager in October, has been on a tirade on social media criticising women working in men's football and his comments have been widely condemned by the footballing world.