Toney pleads not guilty and is released on bail
The English striker Ivan Toney He appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty after being accused of headbutting and punching a man in a London nightclub last year. Toney, 30, who represented England at the World Cup last summer and currently plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, will be tried in June next year for this alleged assault.
During the five-minute hearing held at Southwark Crown Court in London, Toney formally pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault causing bodily harm, following an altercation that occurred on December 6 last year at a nightclub on Wardour Street, according to the British news agency Press Association.
Judge Christopher Hehir set a provisional trial date in the same court for June 12, in the middle of Euro 2028, and apologized to Toney for the delay. “It is a fairly distant date and I regret that it is like this,” said the judge. “As you know, the Crown Courts are under huge pressure. We have a huge backlog of cases for a variety of reasons.”
According to the PA agency, Toney was released on unconditional bail. He began his career at Northampton and played for Newcastle and Peterborough before joining Brentford in 2020. In 2024, he joined Al-Ahli.
