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Newcastle issue statement over ‘disgraceful treatment’ of their fans by police in Marseille

Newcastle issue statement over ‘disgraceful treatment’ of their fans by police in Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome on Tuesday night.

Fans were held in the stadium for safety reasons, and when the first groups were released under police escort, officers allegedly used “unnecessary and disproportionate force”, including pepper spray, batons, and shields, indiscriminately assaulting Newcastle fans.

Crushing has been mentioned by many fans inside the ground, leaving many distressed, with Newcastle staff who witnessed the events say the fans had been patient and well-behaved throughout.

Now the club are formally complaining to UEFA, Olympique de Marseille, and French police, demanding a full investigation.

CLUB STATEMENT:

We will be formally raising our concerns with UEFA, Olympique de Marseille and French police in relation to the unacceptable treatment of our supporters by police at Stade Vélodrome following Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture.

Following the final whistle, our supporters were required to remain in the stadium for a period of up to one hour on the instruction of local authorities to ensure their safety when leaving the stadium.

Plans were in place to move 500 supporters at a time, with a police escort to the Metro station for onward travel to Place de la Joliette.

Our supporters were in good spirits despite the disappointing result and waited patiently and without incident during the holdback period.

The post-match operation was observed at close quarters by our stewards and senior staff.

‘Unnecessary and disproportionate force’

Once the first group of supporters was released, the police began using unnecessary and disproportionate force to stop the remainder of our fans from moving any further. This was actioned through a combination of pepper spray, batons and shields, with numerous supporters being indiscriminately assaulted by the police.

Many supporters were visibly distressed, particularly in the upper concourse area of the away sector, where crushing became apparent.

Our staff immediately addressed the matter with the police, however this had limited impact on their excessive tactics.

Fans leaving the stadium rightly shared their distress, frustration and anger with our staff, and we have subsequently received deeply concerning witness reports from supporters who were in attendance.

Supporter safety and welfare should always be of paramount importance, and we strongly condemn the treatment of our supporters by the police during this incident.

Next steps

We will be calling on UEFA, Olympique de Marseille and local authorities to formally investigate this matter to ensure lessons are learned and this behaviour is not repeated.

We are continuing to liaise with the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) as we gather evidence on behalf of our supporters.

Were you in attendance?

We would like to hear from supporters affected by this incident as we collate as much supporting information as possible. This will also be shared with UEFA, UKFPU and the Football Supporters Europe organisation.

Supporters who wish to share their witness report should email [object Object].

Sam Dalling, who was out in Marseille, spoke of his experience to The Telegraph: “It was 12.30am when I finally left Stade Vélodrome following Newcastle United’s defeat by Marseille on Tuesday night. I was exhausted, I was hungry and, mostly, I was relieved. Relieved that I was walking away from a scary situation, one created artificially by the police, unharmed.

“We had entered the stadium seven hours earlier and it had been perfectly safe until after the final whistle, and ought to have remained so. But overzealous policing and a lack of common sense – perhaps consciously so – led it to become uncomfortable and, frankly, dangerous. French police treating English fans like cattle… where have we heard that one before?

“Newcastle fans had been warned that we would be held in the ground post-match. It is an annoying but standard part of European trips. But while I had hoped it would involve some casual mingling, I instead became one of thousands of supporters in a pen desperate to leave.

“The majority tolerated the situation, but after 90-odd minutes the patience of even the sensible ones wore thin. Still, there was an acceptance that there was nothing to be done but grin and bear. A few, as is the case with any fan group, did not help, goading officers out of frustration.

“And as that irritation grew, the space around me tightened. People shuffled forward in search of an exit or at least a little breathing room. Despite clear space behind them, the police did not budge. Instead, the batons came out, as did the pepper spray.

“Now let me be clear: this was not a full-blown riot. Far from it. But these situations are a tinderbox and can rapidly become uncontrollable. At that point they can, and have in the past, become fatal.

“I am 6ft 2in so I could at least see above the crowd, but even with 85kg of weight behind me there is only so much resistance I can put up. And if I had happened to be in the unfortunate row right next to the police, I might well have ended up taking a blow to the head.

“One woman near me told an officer she could not breathe. She told him again. His response, in perfect English, was that he “didn’t speak English”. Another group of lads needed treatment on their stinging, streaming eyes.

“Eventually we were let go in dribs and drabs. We were held again, a few hundred at a time, in a vast cave beneath the ground big enough for scores of coaches. It would easily have held all 3,000 of us and then some.

“I get that some sections of the Marseille fan base are a less-than-friendly bunch (warning, the below video contains swearing). I also understand the need to gather us in one spot and ferry us to our seats en-masse before the game. A mandatory meet-up 4½ hours pre-kick-off, with the majority passing through the turnstiles 180 minutes before the teams emerged, was over the top, but at least we were safe.

“What happened later, though, was inexcusable. It sucked all the joy out of what is supposed to be fun. It is, remember, a hobby. Marseille’s ground is magnificent and, despite the result, it was, at 10pm, still very much a belter of a trip. But two terrible hours later, I had seen enough of the place to last a lifetime, and I had been treated like an animal simply because I follow my football team with my mates.

“It was, I am told, follow these ridiculous arrangements or we would get no tickets at all. Maybe, just maybe, if the behaviour of your supporters means visiting fans have to be treated like this, you do not deserve to be in Uefa competitions.

“Eventually, I got to my bed at 1.15am. I was lucky as my hotel was right next to the station we were escorted back to. Many others had to run the gauntlet of walking back into town. It simply does not make sense.”

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Here’s what fans have been saying as Newcastle issue a statement over ‘disgraceful treatment’ of their fans by police in Marseille…

@SteveMallam: Thank you. If that is the way they treat away fans (or any crowd at all), they simply should not be allowed to host European competition. The crush in the upper concourse could easily have turned into a tragedy – I’m not a small bloke and I was seriously concerned for our safety

@ToonPolls: Back at the hotel now. Think that was genuinely the most badly managed exit from a stadium I’ve ever been in. Holding crowds too long is totally counter productive. People start getting frustrated. Then mass crowds all pushing to get ahead, Police whacking people (doing nothing wrong) as they pass, which leads to more aggro. We were held on 4 separate occasions. Absolutely shambolic policing from the French. We were warned about the Marseille fans (who have mainly been spot on) but it’s been the Police’s crowd control strategy that was the biggest problem of the night. Honestly horrific. #NUFC

@yonderbluehills: Good luck with that one. I was at Lille some years ago with my son. 4 French “police” in civilian clothing started letting off pepper spray which was the precursor to a full armed charge by riot police. I photographed the entire incident and complained. Nothing happened.

@cianpr: The police seemed ok before the match, even friendly. But afterwards when they were cattling us for 90 minutes in an enclosed space in the stairwell it felt like we were being goaded. Made to feel as welcome as a turd in a swimming pool.

@TheVocalHero: This was inevitable as soon as the draw was made. Same thing will happen at PSG. The treatment of English fans in France has been abhorrent for years and Uefa needs to start penalising the clubs involved, whether it’s their fault or the police.

@floreange: Please do. French police is becoming increasingly violent for years. But when French citizens share their concerns about that, they are ignored or even harassed. Maybe your voice will be taken into greater consideration.

@ChrisPage_Boz: So you should. Absolutely disgraceful the way supporters were treated 😡 However I think we all know that absolutely nothing will happen about it 😡

@timscoreboard: I see Newcastle got the Marseille treatment in the week. Having witnessed it when we were out there, I feel for them, because their police are brutal. The French police have been like this for decades, so complain as Newcastle will, it won’t change their attitude or behaviour.

@lee1892Johnson: Sadly it will fall on death ears as it seems to be this norm for the French police #nufc

@NufcDetective: I was one of the last out. It was a f***ing disgrace. No communication from any stewards or police. Standing in sewage water as the toilets had broken. Penned in like caged animals. I saw a French cop grab some guy without warning. I also left the stadium at 12.55am. More than 2 hours after full time.

@NufcMemorabilia: I must say, being herded like cattle, crushed, threatened by police and treat like criminals from the start is no way to attend a football match. How can some authorities handle crowds without problem and some continually manage to fuck it up? #nufc

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