Newcastle ready to lodge official complaint after controversy vs Marseille
Newcastle United have endured a challenging start to the season as they continue to compete on multiple fronts.
Newcastle secured a 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday (22 November) to move up to 14th in the Premier League table.
However, Newcastle were beaten 2-1 by Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday (25 November).
Harvey Barnes scored an early opener for Newcastle in the south of France, but a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang-inspired comeback secured the victory for the hosts.
Although Eddie Howe’s side have been left disappointing by the defeat, another issue surrounding the clash at the Stade Velodrome has dominated the headlines.
Uefa told to launch immediate investigation after Newcastle incident
There has been plenty of talk around how the Newcastle fans were treated throughout their time in the French city.
The Magpies supporters were held inside the Stade Velodrome before and after the game, with local police heavily criticised for their handling of the fixture.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett told Football Insider Uefa should launch an immediate investigation into the events in Marseille.
“I have witnessed on many occasions at Uefa games across Europe the police taking a much tougher stance against football fans than what we witness in England,” said Hackett.
“The Uefa match observer, who was appointed to the game by the competition organisers, will have been monitoring the safe egress of fans from the stadium in the course of carrying out his duties.
“In incidents like this one, if it is appropriate to underpin his post-match report, the observer will be taking the appropriate photographs. Uefa will no doubt then take on board Newcastle United’s observations and carry out an investigation.”
Newcastle are now taking matters into their own hands after releasing an official statement on Thursday (27 November).
The north-east giants confirmed they will be formally raising their concerns with Uefa, Marseille and French police in relation to the “unacceptable treatment” of the club’s supporters by the authorities at the Stade Velodrome.
Newcastle slam ‘unecessary’ police behaviour
Newcastle claim their supporters were required to remain in the stadium for one hour after the game to ensure their safety when leaving the 67,000-capacity facility.
After a group of fans were released, it is alleged the police began using “unnecessary and disproportionate force” to stop the remainder of the Tynesiders’ fans from moving any further, with pepper spray, batons and shields then used against supporters.
Newcastle have called on Uefa, Marseille and the local authorities to “formally investigate this matter to ensure lessons are learned and this behaviour is not repeated”.
The defeat has provided a blow to Newcastle’s chances of sealing automatic qualification to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
Howe’s side currently sit 11th in the league phase of the competition, with the top eight sealing their place in the last 16 and ninth to 24th taking part in a play-off game.
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