England international Ivan Toney has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an alleged altercation outside a nightclub in London’s Soho district last December, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed, with the striker due to appear in court next month.
England footballer Ivan Toney has been charged with assault following an incident at a nightclub in Soho, central London, police have confirmed. The Metropolitan Police said the 30-year-old, who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) after an investigation into an alleged altercation on Wardour Street on 6 December 2025. Toney is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 24 September. Being charged does not constitute a finding of guilt, and criminal proceedings are now active.
Details of the alleged incident
According to the Metropolitan Police, the charge relates to an alleged altercation outside a nightclub on Wardour Street in Soho in December last year. At the time of Toney’s arrest, police said a man had been taken to hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, The Standard reported.
Earlier reports suggested the confrontation may have begun after a member of the public attempted to grab Toney for a selfie, though these allegations, reported by The Standard, have not been tested in court and remain unproven.
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm is an offence under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. It is considered more serious than common assault, as it involves injuries that go beyond what would be classed as merely transient or trifling.
As criminal proceedings are now ongoing, reporting restrictions apply in order to protect Toney’s right to a fair trial, and any allegations against him will be tested in court in due course.
Toney’s football career
Toney currently plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia’s Pro League, having left Brentford in 2024, and was named in England’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Sky News. Neither the Football Association nor Al-Ahli had publicly announced any disciplinary action in relation to the assault charge at the time it was confirmed, Sky News reported.
Previous disciplinary history
This is not the first time Toney has faced disciplinary scrutiny. In 2023, he received an eight-month ban from football after being found to have breached the Football Association’s betting rules. An independent commission that examined the case found no evidence of match-fixing, but concluded that Toney had committed multiple betting offences during the period in question.
