Newcastle United said French police «indiscriminately attacked» several supporters and used pepper spray, batons and shields on them as they escorted visiting fans out of the stadium after Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat at Olympique de Marseille.
The Premier League side said on Thursday it would formally raise its concerns with UEFA, the host club and French police about the «unnecessary and disproportionate» coercion its fans were subjected to.
“Plans were in place to move 500 supporters at a time… as soon as the first group of supporters were released, police began using unnecessary and disproportionate force to prevent the rest of our fans from moving on,” Newcastle said in a statement.
“This was done using a combination of pepper spray, batons and shields, with scores of supporters being indiscriminately attacked by police.
“Many supporters were visibly upset, especially in the upper concourse of the away sector where the crush became apparent.”
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There was no immediate comment from French police, Olympique Marseille or UEFA when contacted by Reuters.
Fans leaving the stadium shared their anger and frustration with Newcastle staff, the club added.
“We will call on UEFA, Olympique de Marseille and local authorities to formally investigate this matter to ensure lessons are learned and this behavior is not repeated,” Newcastle said.
“We continue to work with the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) as we gather evidence on behalf of our supporters.”
Newcastle are eleventh in the Champions League, with nine points from five games. On December 10 they will visit Bayer Leverkusen.
Published on November 27, 2025
