"Ivan acknowledges the charge and although he is naturally shocked, he looks forward to being given the opportunity to clear his name in court." That was the line from Toney's spokesperson as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court shortly after 9.30am. The hearing comes after a charge he denies, and after a Metropolitan Police investigation into an alleged assault in Soho on 6 December.
The charge and the court date
The allegation centres on Saber Da Silva, who is said to have been attacked at a nightclub in Wardour Street, central London. Toney was charged on 31 July with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
That timeline is the part that will dominate the legal side of the story. More than seven months passed between the alleged incident and the charge, and now the case is in open court.
Toney's football backdrop
The football context is hard to separate from the legal one because Toney's recent profile has already shifted. He missed out on the latest England squad for four Nations League ties, and his senior record still stands at 10 appearances and 1 goal.
His club career has also moved on. Toney scored 72 goals during four years with Brentford before his 2024 move to Al Ahly, and that spell at Brentford is still the clearest reason he remained such a prominent name in English football.
The court case will run alongside that football backdrop, with the immediate fact unchanged, Toney is facing a charge in court and denying it. The hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court is the next public step in a case that began with the alleged incident in Soho on 6 December.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
