Newcastle United will launch an official complaint to Uefa after their fans were mistreated by French police after their Champions League clash in Marseille.
The club confirmed they will formally raise their concerns after travelling Magpies fans were subjected to “unnecessary and disproportionate force” by police during the escort to the Metro station after full-time.
The supporters, moving in groups of 500 at a time, were said to be waiting “patiently and without incident” as they were held in the Stade Velodrome for up to an hour to ensure their safety when leaving the stadium.
But after the first group was released, the police began to use pepper spray, batons and shields to stop the remainder of fans from moving any further.
Newcastle say numerous supporters were “indiscriminately assaulted by the police”, leading to many being “visibly distressed”. There was also crushing in the upper concourse area of the away sector.
Newcastle say their staff immediately addressed the matter with the police, but this had “limited impact on their excessive tactics”.
The club “strongly condemned” the treatment of their fans by police and have reaffirmed the “paramount importance” of supporter safety and welfare.
“We will be calling on Uefa, Olympique de Marseille and local authorities to formally investigate this matter to ensure lessons are learned and this behaviour is not repeated,” a Newcastle statement read.
“We are continuing to liaise with the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) as we gather evidence on behalf of our supporters.”
Mistreatment of English fans in France is nothing new, with Manchester United supporters tear gassed by Lyon police ahead of their Europa League quarter-final away leg last season.
This comes after Liverpool fans were famously embroiled in pre-match troubles involving Paris police ahead of the 2022 Champions League final, when police funneled supporters into a bottleneck that was not fit for purpose. Crowds inevitably began to overwhelm the police, leading to them being tear gassed.
Ticketless supporters were then blamed for the ordeal by French authorities before an independent report confirmed the police’s responsibility in the ordeal.
