French Female Soccer Referee Suffers Concussion While Breaking Up Player Altercation

During a friendly match between French professional club Metz and Dutch side Fortuna Sittard, a female referee was substituted due to an injury after falling while trying to break up a clash between players.

According to British broadcaster BBC on the 27th (Korean time), referee Mathilde Demets, 26, suffered concussion symptoms after falling to the ground while attempting to intervene in a brawl that broke out among players during the match on the 25th.

The situation began in the 40th minute of the first half when players from both teams engaged in a war of nerves by pulling each other's jerseys.

Instantly, other players joined in, and the atmosphere on the pitch turned hostile.

Referee Demets, who intervened to calm the situation, was caught in the middle of the players and fell hard to the ground.

She lay on the pitch for several minutes clutching her arm, and the assistant referee, security personnel, and medical staff rushed in to handle the situation and check on her condition.

After the match resumed, Demets tried to continue by switching her role to assistant referee, but eventually feeling unable to carry on, she was replaced by another official at halftime and left the pitch.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.