Referee Mathilde Demoncay suffered a bizarre injury on Saturday during the friendly between FC Metz and Fortuna Sittard. The Frenchwoman took a heavy blow in a scuffle shortly before half-time and did not return after the break. Fortuna, meanwhile, lost 3-1.
On French soil, Fortuna played their fourth friendly of pre-season. The Limburg side lost to Metz, with Justin Hübner scoring the visitors' only goal.
Le Républicain Lorrain described the game as 'heated at times', and there was little sign of a friendly by the end. Shortly before the half-time whistle, tempers finally snapped.
Fortuna striker Lequincio Zeefuik had his shirt pulled and reacted furiously. He then clashed with several Metz players, which sparked a scuffle.
As Demoncay tried to separate the players, she was struck in the melee. The referee fell heavily and could not continue.
French media say Demoncay suffered a concussion in the incident. One of her assistant referees took her place on the pitch for the second half.
In the stands, an amateur referee happened to be watching. After consultation, he was able to step in as a linesman.
Next Friday, Fortuna round off their pre-season with a home match against APOEL Nicosia. Two weeks later, they open the new VriendenLoterij Eredivisie season with a tough away game against champions PSV.