Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief refereeing officer Howard Webb is reportedly set to appear in court next week after allegations made by a woman. Lisa Benn, a Women’s Super League (WSL) match official, has alleged that she was sidelined by the PGMOL – then headed up by Webb and his wife Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb – after making a complaint against a men’s coach, according to The Telegraph. 34-year-old Benn claims she was “physically manhandled” as well as “threatened” by former Premier League assistant referee and PGMOL coach, Steve Child, at a tournament which took place in 2023, with the aim of allowing WSL officials experience working with VAR. Child officiated in over 300 Premier League matches before his 2019 retirement. The Telegraph’s report says the PGMOL investigation found Child’s behaviour did not meet the criteria for disciplinary action.
Benn also suggested that both Webb and Steinhaus-Webb made it clear that she would not be punished due to the complaint. But the 34-year-old believes this impacted her career as she has since lost her place on the FIFA list of referees and missed out on the £20,000 annual salary paid out by the PGMOL. Benn has filed for unfair dismissal with the tribunal set to begin at a Croydon employment court this Monday (November 17). Webb is expected to give evidence on behalf of the PGMOL.
Benn’s case relates to the fact that she was not nominated for one of the five FIFA slots available to English referees in the winter of 2023. At the time, she was ranked fifth among the top officials working in the WSL. In the two prior years, she had been nominated by the Football Association (FA) and accepted by FIFA. The FIFA place allows refs to take charge of both international and UEFA competition fixtures. But in December 2023, she was sixth on the list submitted by the FA, with documents obtained by the Telegraph supposedly revealing that Webb had been party to the decision to add the sixth name in August 2023. As a result of losing her FIFA spot, Benn also missed out on the annual salary, which allowed her to take time off from her job to travel to matches and training camps. In 2024, she was effectively forced to be reliant on her match fees. The Telegraph also claims that Benn received assurances that she would regain her FIFA nomination in 2024, but this wasn’t the case despite her finishing second in the WSL ranking. Benn was omitted from the FIFA spots for the second-year running, despite Rebecca Welch’s retirement, which left an open space. Following the alleged incident with Child, Benn took charge of just four more WSL matches in the 2023/24 season before officiating a further 11 in 2024/25. However, she has yet to referee in the WSL so far this season. According to the report, “Benn’s claim encompasses compensation for direct discrimination, harassment, victimization, unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and unlawful deduction of wages”. The PGMOL denies Benn’s claims. Child also denied any wrongdoing.
Source: Sport Bible
