Newcastle Set to Launch Complaint Over Treatment of Fans During Champions League Clash with Marseille

Newcastle Set to Launch Complaint as Club Condemns Treatment of Fans During Champions League Clash with Marseille

For a night that was supposed to be about European football under the floodlights, Newcastle United’s trip to Marseille will be remembered for everything but the match. Yes, there was a 2-1 defeat at the Stade Vélodrome — a typically intense Champions League tie — but what happened afterwards has quickly overshadowed the football. And if the club’s response is anything to go by, this story isn’t going away anytime soon.

Newcastle are preparing to file a formal complaint after claiming their travelling supporters were subjected to what the club described as “unnecessary and disproportionate force” from police inside the stadium. Pepper spray, batons, shields — it reads like a report from a riot, not a post-match exit in a competition supposedly built on unity, respect and “the best of European football.”

The Magpies’ statement, sharp in tone and unusually forthright for an English club, suggests they’ve reached their limit. From what supporters have described, you can hardly blame them.

Newcastle to Complain to UEFA After “Indiscriminate” Police Force

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Newcastle wasted no time publishing a lengthy statement on their website — and it was absolutely clear about how deeply the events in Marseille had shaken those involved. According to the club, fans were “indiscriminately assaulted by the police” and left visibly distressed as they tried to leave the stadium after the final whistle.

The club stressed that they intend to take this beyond simple words on a website. UEFA, Olympique de Marseille and the French police will all be receiving detailed complaints, backed by witness reports and accounts gathered on the night.

Newcastle revealed that, following instructions from local authorities, their supporters were ordered to remain inside the stadium for up to an hour to ensure a safe departure. It’s a fairly common protocol in European away fixtures, and by all accounts the Newcastle fans accepted it without issue. No trouble, no hostility — just the usual post-match fatigue and the simmering frustration of a narrow defeat.

But things changed the moment the first small group of supporters was allowed to leave.

Instead of calmly shepherding the remaining fans, police began pushing back the crowd, deploying pepper spray and swinging batons in what the club insists was an entirely unprovoked escalation. In the upper concourse of the away section, congestion quickly turned into crushing — a frightening combination in a steep, tightly packed stand like the one at the Vélodrome.

Newcastle’s stewards and senior staff were already watching from close range, and even they were stunned by what unfolded.

Newcastle Call for Investigation and “Lessons to Be Learned”

The club didn’t stop at condemning the behaviour. They are officially calling for a full investigation, arguing that supporter safety should never be compromised by overzealous policing.

In their words, staff on the ground “immediately addressed the matter with the police,” but unsurprisingly, that didn’t make any real difference in the moment. Supporters leaving the stadium vented their anger and fear to club representatives on site, who have since been compiling first-hand reports to paint a clearer picture of exactly how the situation spiralled.

What stands out in Newcastle’s statement is the underlying frustration — not just with what happened, but with how preventable it all seemed. The club describes its supporters as patient, calm and compliant throughout the holdback. The policing, in contrast, is painted as chaotic, aggressive and entirely disproportionate to the environment.

Newcastle insist they will present everything they gather to UEFA, the UK Football Policing Unit and Football Supporters Europe. As they say themselves, “lessons must be learned.” Whether UEFA listens — well, that’s another debate entirely. English clubs have long accused UEFA of overlooking fans’ concerns, and incidents in Paris and Istanbul in recent years hardly inspire confidence.

But this time, Newcastle seem determined not to let it slide.

Newcastle Fans Furious: “It Felt Inhumane”

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As always, the clearest picture comes from those who were actually there. Newcastle supporter Liam Phillips spoke to BBC Sport afterwards, and his experience reads like something from a different era of football.

“To be cooped up from 4pm until nearly 2am — that’s almost 10 hours to watch 90 minutes of football,” he said. And he wasn’t exaggerating. Many fans arrived early due to safety instructions, were kept in long queues, then held back indefinitely, then subjected to police force, then finally escorted through the city in small groups. By the time they made it back to their hotels, Marseille’s nightlife had already long gone to bed.

What struck Phillips most was the complete disconnect between the behaviour of the fans and that of the police.

“There was no aggro,” he said. “The locals were friendly. Everyone just wanted to watch a football match. But the police were whacking people indiscriminately.”

This wasn’t a violent fixture. No history of trouble between the sets of supporters. No flares, no pitch invasions — nothing that would usually justify heavy policing. Yet somehow, fans ended up scared, packed together and facing riot gear.

“Inhumane” is not a word football fans use lightly. But Phillips’ choice makes it clear that this wasn’t just an inconvenience; it was traumatic for many.

Newcastle Ask for Supporters’ Help as Evidence Collection Begins

With the incident dominating the build-up to Newcastle’s weekend trip to Everton, the club has moved into the next phase: gathering as much evidence as possible. They’ve publicly urged supporters to share photos, videos and written accounts of what happened in Marseille.

This isn’t just a formality. UEFA complaints often require overwhelming documentation before they’re taken seriously, especially when they involve criticism of policing in host countries. Newcastle know they need to present a watertight case.

Fans willing to contribute have been encouraged to email their reports to the club’s supporter services team — a process that has already begun, according to sources close to the club. For many supporters, sharing what they saw is not just about seeking justice; it’s about ensuring no one else has to experience the same treatment on future European away days.

A Night Overshadowed and a Larger Conversation to Come

The frustrating part is that this should have been remembered as a strong European night — one of those marquee fixtures Newcastle supporters have waited decades for. Instead, the football feels like an afterthought.

The question now is whether the investigation Newcastle are calling for will actually take place — and if it does, whether anyone will be held accountable. European football has a poor track record of addressing policing failures, and supporters across the continent will be watching closely.

What’s clear is this: the club is not backing down. Newcastle United have put their name, reputation and voice behind their supporters. That alone sends a powerful message — and ensures this will remain a story long after the lights in Marseille have gone out.