LONDON (AP) — England striker Ivan Toney appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty after being accused of headbutting and punching a man at a nightclub in London last year.
The 30-year-old Toney, who represented England at the World Cup last summer and plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, will face a trial in 2028 — during the European Championship soccer tournament being co-hosted by England that year — over the alleged assault.
During the five-minute hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, Toney formally entered a not guilty plea to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a confrontation at a night spot on Wardour St. on Dec. 6 last year, Britain's Press Association news agency reported.
A provisional trial date was set for the same court on June 12, 2028 by Judge Christopher Hehir, who apologized to Toney about the delay.
“That’s a long way in advance and I’m sorry about that," the judge said. "As you may know, the crown courts are operating under a great deal of pressure. We have got a massive backlog of work for various reasons.”
Euro 2028 is scheduled for June 9-July 9 and is being staged in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Toney was released on unconditional bail, PA news reported.
He started his career with Northampton and played for Newcastle and Peterborough before signing for Brentford in 2020. He joined Al-Ahli in 2024.
Toney has played 10 times for England, scoring once. He wasn't selected in the most recent England squad for Nations League matches in September and October.
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England footballer Ivan Toney departs Southwark Crown Court, London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)
England footballer Ivan Toney arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)
England footballer Ivan Toney departs Southwark Crown Court, London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader John Lee apologized Thursday and said his housing secretary resigned after an investigation into the city’s deadliest fire in decades found inadequate regulatory oversight.
The massive fire that broke out last November engulfed seven buildings in an apartment complex in a northern suburban district, killing 168 people and displacing thousands of others.
Many former residents of Wang Fuk Court have spent nearly a year waiting to see how the government will address accountability for the disaster that claimed their loved ones and their homes, which were then undergoing building maintenance work.
At the opening of the news conference, Lee and seven other top officials bowed in apology. Lee said Housing Secretary Winnie Ho “should bear political responsibility," although no personal wrongdoing was found. He said Ho had resigned Wednesday.
During the investigation, an independent committee found that the Housing Bureau’s independent checking unit failed in its duties supervising the maintenance work.
The committee's work is separate from criminal investigations in which seven people and two companies were charged with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud over the fire.
Authorities alleged that the two companies and some defendants conspired together to defraud the apartment owners by concealing previous litigation records of the company later awarded the renovation project, a contract worth more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars (over $38 million).
Members of the media attend a press conference by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, center, and other senior officials on the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry report, in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Copies of the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry report are seen before a press conference in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee leads other senior officials to a press conference on the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry report in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks during a press conference on the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry report in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, center, leads other senior officials in bowing during a press conference on the Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry report in Hong Kong, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/May James)
FILE -A person walks past fire-ravaged residential towers of the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex after the deadly fire in November, in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File)
