Ivan Toni was furious at the 1-1 draw between Al Ahly and Alfa Faiha and decided to speak out against the Saudi Professional League officials.
Ivan Toney was furious in the post-match interview
A furious Ivan Toney suggested Saudi Professional League officials were colluding to ensure Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nasr won the title. Tony spoke out after his club Al Ahly dropped two important points in a 1-1 draw with Al Faiha on Wednesday night.
With this draw, Al Ahly missed the chance to reduce the gap with league leaders Al Nasr to two points. The result against mid-table Alfa Faiha leaves them in third place, four points behind Ronaldo’s side, who also have a game in hand.
Toney’s opening goal, his 27th of the league season, was canceled out by an equaliser, and Al Ahly failed to find a chance on a very disappointing night. Three penalty appeals were made, one for pushing and two for handball, which were dismissed by the referee and later confirmed by VAR.
Former Brentford striker Tony hinted at some kind of conspiracy against the team while ranting about the phone call in a post-match interview. “The big story was the two penalties,” he said. “That’s obvious. Don’t you know what more you want him to do? Pick up the ball with both hands. Are you going to give him a penalty or not?”
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on our Mirror Football Facebook page
read more: FA Cup semi-final details confirmed following concerns over Chelsea vs. Leedsread more: Harry Maguire demands action from Manchester managers ahead of ‘huge’ transfer window
“And when I try to talk to the referee, he tries to tell me to focus on the AFC (Champions League). How can the referee say something like this? We’re talking about the moment and the referee is telling me to focus on the AFC. If you want me to go deeper, I can go deeper. That might get me in trouble, but I’m the guy who says it like it is.”
He added: “All season long it’s a clear penalty. But now it’s time to play and they change the penalty. I don’t know why.” Asked who he felt was benefitting, Toney said: “We know who it is. Who are we going after?”
He concluded, “If the decision goes our way, we have a good chance, but if things continue like this, it will be tough.”
Unsatisfied with his interview, Tony shared clips of the three controversial penalty decisions on Instagram. “Two of these acts went to VAR and one didn’t. It’s actually crazy how you can overlook something like this at a critical moment or choose to turn a blind eye,” he wrote.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nasr are at the top of the Saudi Professional League (Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
World Cup Legends: The stars of soccer’s biggest tournament in history – buy the special edition now
“And without saying too much to embarrass me, it’s clear what’s at stake here!!! Also, I don’t understand what the referee said to focus on another sport while VAR was in place.
“And I think it helps that the referee agreed that it was the first such penalty in over 90 minutes. But listen, I don’t think it was my fault for telling the truth and pointing out questionable calls and poor officiating.”
He added: “Next time I can bring in someone from my area who knows nothing about football and have them do a much better job than these (clown emojis)!!!!!”
Ronaldo signed for Al Nasr from Manchester United in December 2022, but has yet to win the Saudi Professional League with the club. Al Nasr is owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which also owns Tony’s Al Ahly, No. 2 Al Hilal, and No. 6 Al Ittihad.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
World Cup Legends – Special Edition now on sale
Nothing creates legends like the World Cup. This new special edition publication celebrates the heroes of Earth’s greatest sporting event.
Buy now here or from participating supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents from Wednesday 25 March 2026. Online orders will be shipped starting Wednesday, March 25th, with shipping and packaging charges applicable.
