Premier League club claim police used pepper spray, batons and shields against fans
Newcastle will file an official complaint with Uefa, Marseille and French authorities following what the club described as the “unacceptable” treatment of their supporters after Tuesday’s Champions League defeat in France.
Newcastle were beaten 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome but the result was overshadowed by post-match scenes involving travelling fans. The Premier League club said French police used pepper spray, batons and shields while escorting supporters away from the stadium.
In a statement, Newcastle said they had been involved in a planned post-match exit operation, with fans initially held inside the stadium for around an hour before being released in groups of 500. The club said problems arose after the first group was allowed to leave.
“Once the first group of supporters was released, the police began using unnecessary and disproportionate force,” the statement read.
“This was actioned through a combination of pepper spray, batons and shields, with numerous supporters being indiscriminately assaulted by the police.”
Newcastle said many fans were left visibly distressed, particularly in upper sections of the away end, where crushing even occurred. Club stewards and senior staff raised concerns on the night but felt their intervention had little effect on policing tactics.
“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,” the club said, adding that it would seek a full investigation to ensure “lessons are learned and this behaviour is not repeated”.
Marseille police offered a different account. In their statement, they said officers maintained a friendly approach throughout most of the operation and insisted that force was only used following a crowd surge.
“At one point, towards the end of the operation, in the visitors’ section, a crowd surge required the intervention of the CRS riot police,” a police statement read.
“One officer made very limited use of tear gas, which caused discomfort to around 20 fans for a few minutes. Apart from this incident, no force was used and the operation went smoothly.”
