Newcastle demand UEFA investigation after ‘unacceptable treatment’ | Football | Sport
Newcastle have confirmed that they will be raising concerns with UEFA, Marseille and French police in relation to the ‘unacceptable treatment’ of the club’s supporters by French police at the Stade Velodrome. Multiple complaints were lodged and footage circulated on social media regarding how fans were handled following their 2-1 loss in the Champions League.
Newcastle believe ‘unnecessary and disproportionate force’ was used against supporters and stated that their fans appeared ‘visibly distressed’ as the danger of ‘crushing’ became evident. In a strongly worded statement, Newcastle have confirmed they will voice their concerns with the three parties and have urged any supporters affected by the incident to make contact.
The statement read: “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.
“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.
“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 supporter.services@nufc.co.uk.”
