Ex-Liverpool star who snubbed Nigeria’s Super Eagles for England avoids jail

Former Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe has avoided jail after admitting to assaulting his former partner, Amie Mayson, during an argument in south London, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 30-year-old was sentenced at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Friday after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, according to the Athletic. Magistrate Brij Kalia gave Ibe a 12-month community order instead of an immediate prison sentence.

Ibe must complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 27 days of rehabilitation activity. He was also ordered to pay £764, made up of a £114 surcharge and £650 in court costs.

The incident happened outside Mayson's home in Lambeth on December 14, 2025. Prosecutor Aya Alshekhili told the court that Mayson had confronted Ibe over money she said he owed her.

The argument became physical after Mayson called Ibe a “druggy”. The court heard that Ibe grabbed her arm and then pulled one of her braids from her head, leaving a bald patch.

Ibe had initially denied the charge in March but changed his plea to guilty in July. He represented himself at Friday's hearing and accepted responsibility for what happened.

“I made a serious mistake,” Ibe told the court. “I understand it is wrong. I am genuinely remorseful.”

Ibe: From Liverpool prospect to court sentence

The case comes years after Ibe was viewed as one of England's promising young attackers. Liverpool signed him from Wycombe Wanderers in 2012, when he was 16. He later spent loan spells at Birmingham City and Derby County before breaking into Liverpool's first team.

Ibe made 58 appearances for Liverpool between 2012 and 2016, scoring three goals. He later played for Bournemouth and had spells outside England before his most recent stint with Bulgarian club Lokomotiv Sofia, which ended in June 2026. He is currently without a club.

His international career also had a dramatic Nigeria angle. Born in Bermondsey, London, Ibe was eligible to represent Nigeria through his father. In 2015, then-Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh personally tried to convince the Liverpool youngster to switch allegiance.

Ibe instead chose England. He had already played for England's Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 teams before making his Under-21 debut in September 2015.

“It was my choice and it feels the right choice for me,” Ibe said at the time.

That decision eventually led to four England Under-21 appearances, but he never won a senior cap. His football career has since taken a very different path from the one expected when he was breaking through at Anfield.

Now, after the Lambeth assault, Ibe faces a year of community-based punishment rather than prison. Mayson told the court the assault had affected her physically and mentally, while saying forgiveness had formed part of her healing process.

Ibe, 30, at different times was on the payroll of Derby County, Wycombe Wanderers, Birmingham City, AFC Bournemouth, among several others.