A female assistant referee suffered a concussion after being knocked to the ground while trying to separate players during a pre-season friendly between French club Metz and Dutch side Fortuna Sittard.
The flashpoint came in the 40th minute when two opposing players squared up following a shirt-pulling incident, drawing teammates from both sides into a heated melee.
The official, 26-year-old Mathilde Demoncay, was caught in the middle as she moved in to calm the situation. She fell heavily to the turf and stayed down for several minutes, clutching her arm as personnel rushed to her aid.
Demoncay briefly returned to her duties once play restarted, but she could not see out the first half after reportedly suffering a concussion.
She was replaced at the interval by another assistant referee, and the match went on to completion.
Metz eventually ran out 3-1 winners in the friendly.
Source: Vanguard.
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