Newcastle United are to lodge a formal complaint with Uefa over what they describe as the “unacceptable treatment” of supporters by French police following Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat at Marseille. The Premier League club has accused police of using pepper spray, batons and shields against fans in the aftermath of the match at Stade Vélodrome.
In a statement, Newcastle said travelling fans were held inside the stadium for an hour as part of a planned safety operation, with groups of 500 then escorted towards the metro. However, the club claimed the operation broke down when police used “unnecessary and disproportionate force” to prevent the remaining supporters from moving forward, resulting in numerous fans being “indiscriminately assaulted”.
The club added that many supporters were left visibly distressed, particularly in the upper concourse of the away section where crushing became apparent. Newcastle said their staff raised the matter with police immediately but that this had “limited impact” on the tactics employed. The club strongly condemned the treatment and said supporter safety should always be of paramount importance.
Marseille police offered a different account, saying they maintained a friendly attitude towards Newcastle fans but that a crowd surge in the visitors’ section required intervention by CRS riot police. They acknowledged one officer made “very limited use” of tear gas, causing discomfort to around 20 fans for a few minutes, but said no force was otherwise used and no injuries or complaints were reported.
Newcastle have said they will contact the relevant bodies to ensure lessons are learned and that the behaviour is not repeated, while urging supporters to share their accounts. Marseille, meanwhile, said the away supporter arrangements were planned well in advance with police, Uefa and Newcastle, complied with Uefa standards, and that no specific incidents were reported to the club on the night. The French club added that it could not accept its responsibility being “wrongly called into question”.
