Female referee suffers concussion after trying to stop player brawl

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A female assistant referee suffered a concussion after she was knocked to the ground while attempting to separate players during a pre-season friendly between French club Metz and Dutch side Fortuna Sittard.

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According to the BBC, the incident occurred in the 40th minute after two opposing players confronted each other following a shirt-pulling incident, prompting teammates from both sides to rush in and sparking a melee.

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The official, 26-year-old Mathilde Demoncay, was caught in the middle as she tried to restore order. She fell heavily to the turf and remained on the ground for several minutes, clutching her arm while assistant referees, security personnel and medical staff rushed onto the pitch to attend to her.

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The BBC reported that although Demoncay briefly resumed her duties after play restarted, she was unable to continue beyond the first half after reportedly suffering a concussion. She was replaced at half-time by another assistant referee.

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The match eventually resumed, with Metz securing a 3-1 victory.

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