Newcastle say the fans were “indiscriminately attacked” by Marseille police

NEWCASTLE, England – Newcastle fans were “indiscriminately attacked” by French police after their Champions League game against Marseille, the Premier League club said Thursday.

Newcastle have formally raised concerns with UEFA, French police and Marseille over what they described as “unacceptable treatment”.

Marseille won the game 2-1 at the Velodrome on Tuesday. Newcastle said their fans were prepared to wait in the stadium for up to an hour after the final whistle. They were allowed to leave 500 at a time and the police then escorted them to the metro station.

“Once the first group of supporters were released, the police began to use unnecessary and disproportionate force to prevent the rest of our fans from proceeding,” Newcastle said in a statement. “The action was carried out using a combination of pepper spray, batons and shields, with many supporters being indiscriminately attacked by police.”

The club said it was calling on UEFA and Marseille to investigate and was contacting UK police to gather evidence.

“Safety and welfare must always be paramount, and we strongly condemn the treatment of our supporters by the police during this incident,” it said.