Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Tuesday, 09 December 2025, 09:14 / Updated on Tuesday, 09 December 2025 09:15
Striker Ivan Toney, 29, was detained for allegedly physically assaulting a fan in a bar in central London.
The British newspapers have since Monday morning published the information according to which a 29-year-old English international was arrested as a result of hitting a fan in a London restaurant. If they could not give his name then, “for legal reasons”, this morning it was found out who he is: Ivan Toney.
The 7-capped, 1-goal England striker, now at Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, was in a bar on Saturday morning when he was approached by an individual who allegedly asked for a selfie.
Eyewitness: “Blood started to flow from his nose”
An eyewitness, who was in the bar with his girlfriend, told The Sun: “He walked past a table with a group of guys. One of them recognized him and said, 'Oh, it's Ivan Toney' and tried to put his hands around his neck to take a photo together.”
But Toney would have felt threatened and shouted at him: “Leave me alone! Leave me alone!”. After which “he hit the boy with his head in the figure, and the blood started to flow from his nose.
He would have thought that they were trying to attack him, to take the chain he was wearing around his neck, or to challenge him. He is a superstar, he earns half a million a week in Saudi Arabia. He was wearing jewelry and had a very nice watch.”
The police arrived on the scene within half an hour
The eyewitness also reported that the police showed up within half an hour at the most: “There were five officers, in uniform, who went to Toney's table, asked him for identification and then told him he was under arrest for assault. Immediately after that they put his hands behind his back, handcuffed him and left together.”
A local bartender said police returned to the area the following day to ask additional questions of those in the area at the time of the incident. London Ambulance Service also confirmed it sent an ambulance and paramedic at 1.57am following reports of an alleged assault.
Ivan Toney was suspended for 8 months due to betting
Ivan Toney made his England debut in 2023. But in the same year he received an eight-month ban after being accused of over 230 violations of betting rules, dating from 2017-2021.
He acknowledged many, but disputed others. In 2024, Toney moved from Brentford to Al Ahli for £40m.
