Newcastle set to launch a complaint against Marseille at UEFA over ‘unacceptable treatment’ of fans at the game.
Following Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League loss at Marseille, Newcastle will file a complaint over the “unacceptable treatment” their supporters received. Following Tuesday night’s defeat at Stade Vélodrome, the Premier League team accused French police of subduing supporters with pepper spray, batons, and shields.
Newcastle claims that in order to ensure their safety, travelling supporters were detained inside the stadium for an hour before being brought in groups of 500 to the metro to the supporters’ gathering location. However, the post-match operation was observed up close by Newcastle’s stewards and senior personnel, suggesting that preparations went wrong at that point.
A club statement said: “We will be formally raising our concerns with Uefa, Olympique de Marseille and French police in relation to the unacceptable treatment of our supporters by police at Stade Vélodrome following Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture.”
Newcastle’s statement said: “Once the first group of supporters was released, the police began using unnecessary and disproportionate force to stop the remainder of our fans from moving any further. This was actioned through a combination of pepper spray, batons and shields, with numerous supporters being indiscriminately assaulted by the police.
“Many supporters were visibly distressed, particularly in the upper concourse area of the away sector, where crushing became apparent. Our staff immediately addressed the matter with the police, however this had limited impact on their excessive tactics.
“Fans leaving the stadium rightly shared their distress, frustration and anger with our staff, and we have subsequently received deeply concerning witness reports from supporters who were in attendance. Supporter safety and welfare should always be of paramount importance, and we strongly condemn the treatment of our supporters by the police during this incident.”
Marseille police said in a statement they maintained a friendly attitude with Newcastle fans but that a crowd surge prompted riot police to intervene.
“At one point, towards the end of the operation, in the visitors’ section, a crowd surge required the intervention of the CRS riot police, one of whom made very limited use of tear gas, which caused discomfort to around 20 fans for a few minutes,” the police said. “Apart from this incident, no force was used and the operation went smoothly. No injuries or complaints were reported following this event.”