Newcastle United official statement sees disgraceful treatment of fans in Marseille to be formally challenged | OneFootball

The disgraceful treatment of Newcastle United fans in Marseille is now going to be challenged by the club.

An official statement (see below) from the club on Thursday (27 November 2025) morning bringing the news.

This is specifically about what happened after the final whistle, with the club stating;

‘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.’

The official statement saying that concerns are to be raised with the French police, the club (Marseille) and UEFA.

Official Newcastle United statement – 27 November 2025:

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.

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.