Newcastle will contact UEFA after it was alleged that the club’s fans were “indiscriminately attacked” following their clash with Marseille.
Newcastle United will raise concerns with UEFA, Marseille and French police over what the club described as “unacceptable treatment” of Champions supporters following the clash at the Clante Velodrome.
The Magpies suffered only their second league defeat on Tuesday, losing 2-1 at Marseille after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang turned the game around for Harvey Barnes Operator. Newcastle finished the Champions League match day 11th in the table, still qualifying for the Knockout Round with nine points from five games.
Newcastle fans were also barred from the Velodrome after the end of the match to be escorted by the police to the Metro station to attend the fan park set up in the designated area of Parliament de La Goilette.
However, the club said that, following the expulsion of the first group of 500 supporters, the police used “unnecessary and unusual force” to stop the progress of the remnants of Newcastle fans.
A statement from the club said Newcastle supporters were “indiscriminately attacked”, leading to an upper-calf tear as supporters rose in distress.
Newcastle reject ‘excessive tactics’
Newcastle will take the matter to Europe’s governing body, writing in a statement released on their official website: “We will formally present our concerns to UEFA, the Olympique de Marseille police and the UEFA Champions League police following UEFA Vélodre.
“After the final whistle, our supporters had to stay in the stadium for up to one hour under instructions from the home authorities to ensure their safety when leaving the stadium.
“There were strategies to move 500 supporters at a time, with a police supporter at the Metro station to attend DE LA Joliette.
“Our supporters were in good spirits despite the disappointing result and waited patiently and without incident during the match.
“The post-match performance was recognized in close quarters by our management and senior staff.
“As soon as the first group of supporters was released, the police began to use unnecessary force to stop the rest of our supporters from moving with any combination of pepper spray, batons and shields, with many supporters being attacked indiscriminately by the police.
“Many supporters were concerned, especially in the upper part of the outer sector, where it is being carried out.
Our staff soon dealt with the issue with the police, however, this had a limited effect on their over-the-top tactics.
“The fans who left the stadium shared their grief, frustration and anger with us and our staff, and we later found out in depth about the Witness reports from the supporters who were there.
“Pretporter’s safety and well-being must be of the utmost importance, and we strongly condemn the treatment of our supporters by the police in this incident.
“We will be calling on UEFA, Olympique de Marseille and the local authorities to formally investigate the matter to ensure lessons are learned and this behavior is not repeated.
“We continue to liaise with the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) as we gather evidence on behalf of our supporters.”
