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Referee Concussed in On-Field Brawl
26 Jul
Summary
- Referee sustained a concussion after being knocked down.
- Incident occurred during a friendly match between Metz and Fortuna Sittard.
- The referee was trying to de-escalate a fight between players.
A friendly football match between French club Metz and Dutch side Fortuna Sittard was marred by violence when a female referee sustained a concussion. Mathilde Demoncay was knocked to the ground as she attempted to intervene in a brawl between male players.
The incident, which occurred in the 40th minute at Schlossberg Stadium in Forbach, eastern France, escalated from a shirt-tugging confrontation. Video footage showed Demoncay falling heavily after being hit amidst the melee.
Despite remaining on the pitch for several minutes, Demoncay, 26, resumed duties as an assistant referee after play restarted. However, she was substituted at halftime due to the concussion she suffered.
Fortuna Sittard, who lost the game 3-1, acknowledged the event as 'remarkable' in their match report, while Metz had no report on their website. The match was preparing the teams for their upcoming seasons.
