Newcastle United have condemned what they described as “unacceptable” and “indiscriminate” policing after their supporters were subjected to chaotic and distressing scenes following Tuesday night’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome.
The club said it will submit a formal complaint to Uefa, Marseille officials and the French police after fans reported excessive force, including the use of pepper spray, batons and shields, during what was meant to be a routine post-match hold-back operation. According to Newcastle, the intention was for supporters to remain inside the ground for up to an hour before being escorted in groups to the metro station, where they would travel to the designated fan meeting point.
However, events quickly deteriorated. Once the first group of fans was released, police allegedly attempted to halt the movement of the remaining supporters, leading to confusion and congestion in the upper concourse of the away end. Newcastle said “crushing became apparent” as officers used force to prevent fans from progressing, a tactic the club insists was both unnecessary and dangerous.
“Our staff immediately addressed the matter with the police, however this had limited impact on their excessive tactics,” the club said in a statement. “Supporter safety and welfare should always be of paramount importance, and we strongly condemn the treatment of our supporters.”
Several fans have described the scenes as frightening and chaotic.
Season ticket holder Liam Phillips, 42, said he would “never return to Marseille” after witnessing what he called indiscriminate assaults by police who “whacked people” despite no provocation. Phillips said supporters were pushed forward by the crowd’s momentum and had nowhere to go but towards the officers.
“To be cooped up from 4pm, and not get back to my hotel until nearly 2am, just to watch 90 minutes of football—it felt inhumane,” he said. “We were treated like criminals. There was no trouble, no aggression. We were just there to watch a match.”
Another travelling supporter, Darren Curry, co-founder of the Newcastle Supporters Club, said fans were left standing in overflowing toilets on the concourse, with some pulled out by police as tensions rose. Curry said the hold-back plan created a “dangerous” and cramped environment.
“I saw women and men in real distress,” he said. “If you were at the front and there was a surge, you knew the police might baton charge. It’s lucky no one was seriously hurt.”
Marseille police have disputed the allegations. In a statement, they acknowledged only a “very limited use of tear gas” by one officer following what they described as a “crowd surge” near the end of the operation. They said no batons were used and insisted the wider operation “went smoothly” with no injuries reported.
Marseille’s football club also defended the arrangements, citing Uefa’s debriefing to claim the post-match plan had been followed correctly. They said concourse access remained open throughout and blamed “an act of vandalism” for the overflowing toilets, claiming a damaged flush mechanism and deliberate blockage caused the issue.
The Football Supporters’ Association criticised the handling of the operation and urged Marseille authorities to “drastically improve” conditions for visiting fans. Uefa have been approached for comment.
The incident adds to growing concern around policing at football matches in France. Since the widely criticised 2022 Champions League final in Paris—where Liverpool fans were kettled and tear-gassed—supporters from Manchester United, Tottenham and others have raised alarm over conditions at European fixtures.
“There is a systemic problem with matchday organisation in France,” said Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe. “Police practices that would be unacceptable in any other public setting are putting lives at risk. Yet we’re not seeing meaningful change.”
With France seeking to host several major European finals in the coming years, pressure is mounting for authorities to overhaul current policing and crowd-management tactics to ensure fan safety is no longer compromised.
