Overview
- A shirt-pull foul in the 39th minute of a pre-season friendly between FC Metz and Fortuna Sittard sparked a multi-player brawl in which referee Mathilde Demoncay was knocked to the ground and later diagnosed with a mild concussion.
- Medics treated Demoncay on the field and she briefly continued as an assistant before leaving at halftime because she could not carry on.
- One of the original assistant referees took over main duties in the second half and a spectator who is an amateur referee reportedly acted as a linesman for the remainder of the game.
- The match, streamed by Moselle TV, finished 3-1 for Metz, two yellow cards were shown for the melee, and video clips from the livestream spread quickly on social media.
- No formal disciplinary measures or investigations have been announced and the episode has prompted questions about protecting match officials and emergency protocols at lower-profile fixtures.