Referee Mathilde Demoncay sustained a concussion on Saturday after being knocked to the ground during an altercation between players at a pre-season football match. The incident occurred during a game between French club FC Metz and Dutch club Fortuna Sittard at the Schlossberg Stadium in eastern France.
The confrontation took place in the 40th minute of the friendly match. According to media reports and video of the event, an initial dispute between two opposing players over a shirt-pull escalated when other players became involved.
Demoncay, who was officiating the match, attempted to intervene in the growing altercation. Video circulated on social media shows that during the confrontation, she was knocked to the ground. The incident occurred in front of a stadium sign that read, “Respect the referee.”
Medical staff, security personnel, and other match officials came onto the pitch to tend to Demoncay and restore order among the players. After several minutes on the ground, Demoncay resumed her duties, but as an assistant referee for the remainder of the first half. A different official took over as the main referee when play restarted. Demoncay did not return for the second half of the match.
Fortuna Sittard, which lost the match 3-1, addressed the event in the official match report on its website. The club described the episode as a “remarkable moment” but did not offer further details or comment on the referee’s condition.
FC Metz did not include information about the incident in the match summary available on its official website. No official statements from either club specifically addressing the referee’s injury have been released.
