Tribunal Hears Testimony on Alleged Misconduct in Refereeing

Earlier this week, referee Lisa Benn testified at an employment tribunal in London, alleging that Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) coach Steve Child “forcefully pushed her” during a training tournament in March 2023. The incident occurred during a match designed to train officials on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. Benn claims Child instructed a fourth official to “kill the game,” to which she responded, “Don’t tell me how to referee,” accompanied by a verbal expletive directed at him.

Benn stated in her testimony that she is a trusted referee officiating at the highest levels, emphasizing that the incident took place during an under-19s game. She asserted that Child acted with superiority, stating, “He manhandled me onto the field of play—he would never have done that to a male referee.”

When questioned about whether she had observed Child behaving similarly with other referees, she confirmed that she had witnessed him acting that way towards female referees but not towards male referees.

PGMOL reportedly conducted an investigation into Benn’s complaint but determined that Child’s behavior did not warrant disciplinary action. Benn expressed concern that following her complaint, PGMOL’s recommendations for her diminished, adversely affecting her ranking on FIFA’s international referee list.

In response, Child provided a witness statement during the tribunal, stating, “100 percent I did not grab her,” suggesting that any physical contact was merely a “guiding arm” and that he had no recollection of touching her inappropriately. He added that he placed an arm across her back in a context of encouragement and refuted Benn’s claims of gender-based discrimination.

Child also denied allegations of intimidation during an encounter in a hotel reception at a training camp in August 2023, attributing the perceived intimidation to a misunderstanding on Benn’s part. He further rejected claims of having grabbed Benn during a separate incident, instead stating, “Your card has been marked,” following a mass brawl at the conclusion of a youth game.

As a result of these incidents, the tribunal noted that Benn’s ranking dropped from fifth to sixth on FIFA’s international officials list, with only the top five officials being recognized. However, it was also mentioned that PGMOL had requested FIFA to consider accepting a sixth official that season.

During the hearing, Webb explained that Benn’s lower ranking stemmed from her being outperformed by her peers. “It was our honestly held belief that she would be accepted,” he stated, highlighting the growth of the women’s game.

Webb emphasized the competitive nature of ranking officials, stating that they have many capable referees in the country, and the need to rank them accordingly.

Before the conclusion of the day’s hearing, Webb underscored the importance of allowing officials to express their concerns openly and confidently, stating, “Of course, we want to know what is on the minds of our officials.”

The tribunal is scheduled to reconvene on Friday.