11/04/2026
Ivan Toney has launched a scathing attack on the integrity of officiating in the Saudi Pro League as one of his Al-Ahli team-mates suggested they are attempting to 'hand the trophy' to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Toney was among Al-Ahli players to hit out at refereeing decisions following Al-Ahli's 1-1 draw against Al-Fayha on Wednesday.
The result leaves Al-Ahli in third position in the table, two points behind Ronaldo's Al-Nassr side, who top the standings and have a game in hand.
Toney, who scored his 27th goal of the season in the draw, claimed his side were denied several penalties against Al-Fayha.
The England international alleged that when he and his Al-Ahli team-mates had attempted to talk to the referee, they were told to instead focus on the AFC Champions League.
‘I think the very big talking point was the two penalties, it is as clear as day,' Toney said in a post-match interview. 'I don’t know what more you want him to do, if you pick the ball up with two hands are you going to give a penalty or not?
'When we tried to talk to the referee, he told us to ‘focus on the AFC [Champions League]. How can the referee say this? We are talking about now and he is saying to focus on the AFC.
'If you want me to go deeper, I can go deeper, it might get me into trouble but I am a man that says it how it is. There are clear talking points with the referee, but his mind is elsewhere.
'Throughout the season, it was a clear penalty but now we get to the crunch time and they change it.'
When asked who would benefit from the decisions, Toney laughed and replied: ‘We know who, who are we chasing?’ in a possible reference to Ronaldo.
Toney later doubled down on social media by sharing videos of three penalty appeals during the match and claimed 'it is clear what is being influenced here'.
11/04/2026
08/03/2026