Newcastle fans urged to stick together after violence before PSG match

Newcastle fans have been encouraged to stick together to stay safe in Paris after trouble flared briefly before Tuesday’s Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain.

Footage of a group of Newcastle fans being attacked in a bar in the city circulated on social media late on Monday night, although eyewitnesses said it was over quickly and that nobody was seriously hurt. Representatives of the Newcastle United Supporters’ Club (NUSC) were inside Café Seguin in the Boulogne-Billancourt area when the incident occurred.

An NUSC spokesperson said: “Corcoran’s Boulogne was asked to shut at 10pm by the police. A group of Newcastle fans moved on to Café Seguin to continue the night. A group of around 30 PSG fans turned up, stood outside, threw a flare and chairs etc at the windows and doors. Nobody was majorly hurt and then they left. The advice is for everyone to stick together and look after each other.” NUSC said “the videos make it look worse than it was”.

The spokesperson described the attack as “totally unprovoked” but said posts on some French X accounts have suggested a connection to an incident in Newcastle around the reverse fixture in October.

Newcastle had advised supporters in advance to avoid the suburb of Auteuil before the game at the Parc des Princes. PA Media has contacted police in Paris for comment.

The incident comes after the 58-year-old Newcastle fan Eddie McKay was stabbed twice in the arm and once in the back after travelling to Italy for the club’s first Champions League game in two decades against Milan in September.