Referees’ chief Howard Webb has denied allegations that Women’s Super League official Lisa Benn lost her place on FIFA’s international referees list because she lodged complaints about being “manhandled” and intimidated by a coaching staff member. The dispute was outlined at an employment tribunal on Thursday, where Benn argued she was unfairly ranked below peers after reporting misconduct within Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).
Benn, 34, served as a referee at the 2022 Women’s European Championship and had been considered a rising figure within the officiating ranks. She claimed her FIFA prospects were damaged after filing grievances against Steve Child, a former Premier League assistant referee and PGMOL coach, regarding incidents in March and August 2023.
According to Benn, the first incident took place at a VAR training tournament, where Child allegedly grabbed her arm and “forcefully pushed” her onto the pitch, later warning her that her “card had been marked.” The child has denied the comment, and a PGMOL investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to pursue disciplinary action.
In a second alleged incident, Benn said Child intimidated her at a hotel reception during a training camp five months later. She reported the situation to Bibi Steinhaus-Webb, then PGMOL’s head of women’s referees and wife of Howard Webb. A month later, PGMOL submitted nominations for the 2024 women’s international referees list.
Despite being fifth in the rankings before the complaints, Benn slipped to sixth—just outside the five spots FIFA traditionally allocates. PGMOL had requested a sixth place due to the rapid expansion of women’s football, and Webb said he believed all six would be accepted. FIFA, however, maintained its limit.
Before the tribunal, Benn’s representative, Carla Fischer, argued that the timing was no coincidence and claimed that Benn’s ranking was lowered in retaliation for raising concerns about a senior male coach. “She made a second complaint that a male PGMOL coach made unwanted threatening remarks to a female referee in the women’s game—and that is why she was ranked sixth, isn’t it?” Fischer asked.
Webb rejected the claim outright. “No, that is not correct,” he responded, insisting performance—not complaints—determined the ranking order. He told the tribunal that more successful officials had overtaken Benn and that the final decision was based on “a holistic view” of the metrics used to evaluate referees.
“This is a competitive world in which we work and we need to rank officials against each other,” he said. “We produce a lot of outstanding officials in this country, and we are in the difficult task of having to rank them.”
Webb acknowledged that Benn, during an October 2023 meeting, raised concerns about a culture of fear within PGMOL—suggesting referees felt discouraged from reporting misconduct due to fear of consequences. He said PGMOL aims to foster an atmosphere in which officials “speak openly and confidently,” and emphasised that complaints are taken seriously.
He also described how deeply officials value the FIFA badge. “They treasure this badge, they really do,” he said, adding that PGMOL genuinely believed a sixth nomination would be approved due to the “incredible” growth of the women’s game.
Benn learned in December 2023 that she had not been selected for FIFA’s list. She contends the decision damaged her career progression at a crucial moment.
Child maintains he did not threaten Benn, while PGMOL’s internal inquiry concluded the available evidence did not meet the threshold for disciplinary action. The tribunal will determine whether the organisation’s handling of the situation breached workplace fairness or whether—as Webb insists—the ranking was a straightforward reflection of officiating performance.
The hearing continues as both sides present evidence.
