Newcastle United say supporters were “indiscriminately assaulted” by French National Police following their 2–1 defeat at Olympique de Marseille in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Newcastle condemned what they described as the use of “unnecessary and disproportionate force”. They claim police used pepper spray, batons, and shields while escorting visiting fans from the stadium. Many supporters were left distressed after being held inside the stadium for up to an hour.
According to the club, fans were scheduled to leave in groups of 500 under police escort. But once the first group exited, police allegedly began using force to halt further movement, even against fans still waiting. The club added that “numerous supporters” were assaulted, and some experienced crowd crushes in the upper concourse area.
The allegations have prompted Newcastle to call on UEFA, Marseille, and French police to launch a formal investigation.
Marseille police acknowledged limited use of tear gas during a crowd surge but argued the rest of the exit process was peaceful and that no injuries or complaints were filed.
“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 Marseille police said.
Newcastle currently sit 11th in their Champions League group with nine points from five matches. The club has warned that the safety of supporters must be “paramount” and vowed to press for accountability.
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