A female referee reportedly suffered a concussion after being knocked to the ground during a melee in a men's friendly match in France.

Referee Mathilde Demoncay had taken charge of the friendly between Ligue 2 French side Metz and their Dutch opponents Fortuna Sittard on Sunday.

Demoncay had blown for a free kick to Fortuna Sittard in the 39th minute, after a Metz player had pulled the shirt of a breaking attacker.

The fouled Fortuna Sittard player was then seen squaring up to two Metz players following the incident.

This led to Demoncay racing over in an attempt to break up the incident, while players from both teams also ran in as the melee grew.

Footage showed Demoncay, 26, being knocked over backwards as more players pushed into the melee.

While unclear on the footage, Demoncay appeared to hit her head on the ground after falling.

One Fortuna player was quick to notice the stricken referee, as they stood by the official and motioned for medical staff to come to her aid.

Medical staff, assistant referees and security came onto the pitch, with Demoncay receiving assistance.

The footage showed Demoncay sitting up as medical staff began to assess her, while players appeared to have become concerned by the incident.

Demoncay was ultimately unable to continue the match, with one of her assistants forced to step in. 

The incident, which played out with a sign in the background reading 'respect the referee', led to two players being booked.

Fortuna Sittard had described it as a 'remarkable moment' on the club's website.

Metz, who had been leading 1-0 at the time, went on to win 3-1 in the friendly.