Violence erupted between supporters of Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital on Monday night ahead of a Champions League clash between the two sides.
Newcastle fans have travelled to Paris to watch their side take on PSG in a must-win match in Group F on Tuesday night. But the game has already been marred by worrying scenes shared through videos on social media.
Footage posted on Twitter shows a group of around 35 men dressed in black striding down the street in Paris. Forty minutes later other videos taken by Newcastle fans shows PSG ultras wearing balaclavas throwing chairs, bottles and flares at the door of a bar packed full of away supporters.
Newcastle fans are shown trying to defend themselves amid the carnage. A Newcastle supporter called Jordan, who posted one of the videos, wrote: “Very welcoming place Paris. For absolute context, we were sat outside having a pint, families, kids etc.”
Some 1,200 away fans were attending ticketed events at Corcorans, an Irish pub, and Seguin Sound, a restaurant, by the river Seine. Corcorans closed at 10pm following police advice to try and reduce the chance of trouble between the two sets of supporters.
The Newcastle United Supporters’ Club tweeted: “Stay safe in Paris tonight. Stick together and look after each other.” There had been concerns about violence in Paris following some isolated incidents in Newcastle for the reverse fixture, which finished 4-1 to Eddie Howe’s side on October 4.
And unfortunately Newcastle fans have already experienced shocking violence on their travels this season, with a 58-year-old supporter stabbed by hooligans in Milan before the game against AC Milan in September. His daughter said he was set upon by thugs after falling over while trying to escape the mayhem.
Newcastle will be eliminated from the Champions League if they lose to PSG on Tuesday night. The Magpies are bottom of Group F, having taken four points from their four games so far.
"We need to play on the edge," Howe said. "Every team is at their best when they have that emotion running through them and we need that energy because this is the defining moment of our Champions League campaign.
"We are fully aware of where we are and what we need to do. Our defensive structure and resilience has been good this season, so we need it to be every ounce as good as that against PSG. Fear of failure is a motivating factor in my career. Losing doesn't sit comfortably, no matter what the occasion and of course that applies to this game.”