During a club friendly match in France, referee Mathilde Demoncay was knocked down in a scuffle between male players.
Published July 26, 2026
A female referee suffered a concussion after being slammed to the ground while trying to break up a scuffle between male players during a club soccer friendly match in France.
According to local media reports, referee Mathilde Demoncay was officiating a friendly match between French club Metz and Dutch club Fortuna Sitttal on Saturday when the incident occurred.
Following the incident at the Schlossberg Stadium in Vorbach, eastern France, where both teams were preparing for the new season, Demokey was unable to continue.
In a match report published on their website, Fortuna Sittard, who lost the match 3-1, described the episode as a “remarkable moment”, but did not comment further. There was no report about the incident on the Mets’ website.
Tensions escalated in the 40th minute as two opposing players faced off after a shirt-pulling incident. Other players also rushed to join the showdown.
Demonkei tried to intervene and ended up falling to the ground, then was hit and fell heavily in the scuffle, according to videos on social media. The match was played in front of a large sign that read “Respect the referee.”
The referee remained on the grass for several minutes, holding her arm, while assistant referees, security and medical staff ran onto the pitch to restore order and assess her condition.
Demon Key, 26, returned as an assistant referee after play resumed, but left the field at half-time and another assistant referee took over his duties.
