Referee Mathilde Demoncay was knocked down as the male players fought during a friendly club match in France.

A female referee suffered a concussion when she was knocked to the ground as she tried to break up a melee between male players during a friendly club football match in France.

Referee Mathilde Demoncay was officiating a friendly match between French club Metz and Dutch club Fortuna Sittard on Saturday when the incident occurred, according to local media reports.

Demoncay was unable to continue after the incident at Schlossberg Stadium in Forbach, eastern France, where the two teams were preparing for their respective new seasons.

In the match report on their website, Fortuna Sittard, who lost the game 3-1, described the episode as a “remarkable moment” but did not comment further. Metz had no report of the incident on their website.

Tension flared in the 40th minute when two opposing players confronted each other after a shirt-tugging incident. Other players rushed to join in the confrontation.

Demoncay ended up on the ground after attempting to intervene, falling heavily after being knocked in the melee, video on social media showed. The fight happened in front of a large sign reading: “Respect the referee.”

The referee remained on the turf for several minutes, holding her arm, while assistant referees, security personnel and medical staff ran onto the pitch to restore order and assess her condition.

The 26-year-old Demoncay resumed as the assistant referee after play restarted but left the field at half-time, with another assistant taking over her duties.