WSL referee Lisa Benn takes PGMOL to employment tribunal

A Women’s Super League referee says she lost her role as an international official after complaining that a referee coach “manhandled” her at a game.

Lisa Benn told an employment tribunal in London on Monday that Steve Child, a Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) coach and former Premier League assistant referee, had “forcefully pushed her”.

But once she raised a complaint she said in a witness statement that PGMOL did not recommended her as highly as it had done in the past, which cost her a place on Fifa’s international referee list.

Benn, 34, says she had been told by the organisation’s chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, and his wife Bibi Steinhaus-Webb – then head of women’s referees – she would not be punished for coming forward.

PGMOL investigated the complaint but found Child’s behaviour did not meet the threshold for disciplinary action.

Monday’s hearing was told the alleged incident happened at a PGMOL-organised tournament to train staff on video assistant referees (VAR), which was not in use in the women’s game, in March 2023.

The schedule was delayed following a serious injury, when Benn alleges Child urged her to get a game started promptly, grabbed her arm and “forcefully pushed” her on to the pitch.

The game she officiated later became heated and Child instructed a fourth official to tell Benn to “kill the game”, the tribunal heard.

Benn replied by saying “don’t tell me how to referee” and also directing an expletive at Child.

“I am a trusted referee, I referee at the highest level – this was an under-19s game,” she told the panel.

“He felt superior, he felt like he could come on and tell me how to referee, he manhandled me on to the field of play – he would never have done that to a male referee,” she added.

Jesse Crozier, for PGMOL, suggested “he would have put his arm behind you and ushered you on to the pitch at the same time” but Benn rejected this explanation.

Benn was asked if she had seen him act that way with other referees, and said: “I have to female referees, yes. I haven’t to male referees.”

At the end of the game Child grabbed her arm and told her “your card has been marked”, she said.

“He was so angry his eyes were bulging out of his head,” she added.

Crozier said: “If you had been dragged, grabbed and pushed at a training tournament with dozens and dozens of people, someone would have seen it,” to which Benn disagreed.

The tribunal continues.