Lisa Benn tribunal: Referees' boss Howard Webb denies WSL official lost role over complaint

The chief referee of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), Howard Webb, has denied that a former female referee, Lisa Benn, was unfairly stripped of her international refereeing badge due to a complaint about alleged harassment.

Benn claimed she had been grabbed and threatened by an assistant referee coach, Steve Child, who is now coaching in the Women's Super League (WSL). She lodged a grievance with PGMOL, citing "manhandling" by Child and also alleging that he made her an unwanted comment during the tournament.

However, Webb disputed Benn's claims, stating that she was not selected for the World Football Governing Body's (Fifa) women's referee list due to poor performance. He said that there were concerns over the safety of referees in the women's game, which is a growth area for football.

The dispute arose after Benn expressed concern about the fear that some female referees felt in raising issues or speaking out about incidents in the women's game, as she claimed other officials had feared making complaints due to potential repercussions.

In response, Webb stated: "We want our officials out on the field and performing. We need them to be confident, open, and willing to speak up."

i think its kinda weird that bennt didnt get her badge taken away sooner lol :3

im just saying, if a guy was doin the same thing steve child was accused of, wouldnt he have gotten fired on the spot?

its all good tho, the womens game needs more strong female referees like bennt who speak up about issues!

i drew a simple diagram to show what i mean :
```
+---------------+
| Unsafe |
| environment|
+---------------+
|
|
v
+---------------+
| Female |
| referees |
| being |
| silenced |
+---------------+
```
let me know what u think!

omg u guys i cant believe what happend to lisa benn she was literally harassed by steve child the assistant referee coach like he grabbed her and threatened her but webb says shes not good enuf for the job lol i mean who are we to believe him tho?? im all about women empowerment especially in sports they need to be able to speak up without fear of repercussions or being bullied webb needs to educate himself on whats going on in the world not just refereeing games

this is so not cool that Lisa Benn was stripped of her badge like that i mean what even happened? some dude grabs you and threatens you in front of people? and now the chief ref is saying she got benched cuz she wasn't good enough? poor girl, this is just awful

I think Lisa Benn got it coming . I mean, come on, she was grabbed by a coach, that's not something to be taken lightly. And now she's all drama about other refs being scared to make complaints? It sounds like an excuse to me. Webb just said what needed to be said - officials need to be confident and speak up, no room for drama or making stuff up. Benn should've thought twice before speaking out like that...

I feel bad for Lisa Benn, it sounds like a really tough situation for her . I can see why she'd be upset that someone would behave in that way towards her, especially at work. But at the same time, I get what PGMOL is saying - they do have to consider safety and performance when making decisions about who gets to referee international matches. It's a tough balance to strike. Maybe we can focus on creating a culture where officials feel supported and confident in speaking up if something's not right?

omg what a mess ! i feel for lisa benn tho she's got some serious guts accusing someone of harassment. but at the same time, it's not entirely clear if pgomol was right in stripping her badge or not... the whole thing just feels like they're trying to send a message about confidence and speaking up, which is all well and good, but what about supporting people who are already feeling vulnerable?

I'm shocked by this whole thing . I mean, if Lisa Benn is saying she was harassed and threatened by an assistant referee coach, you've got to listen to her . It's not like her badge was taken away for no reason. The fact that Webb just says it was due to poor performance and concerns over safety makes me think there's more to this story than what we're being told .

I get where PGMOL is coming from, but come on! We need more women officials out there, especially in the growth areas like the WSL. It's not fair that just because someone speaks up about an issue, they're penalized . And what about all those other refs who've been subjected to harassment or intimidation? Why aren't we hearing their stories too?

This is just another example of a guy trying to cover his own behind . If there was even a hint of truth to Lisa Benn's claims, PGMOL should've listened. Instead, Howard Webb is trying to turn this into some kind of performance issue. Newsflash, Webb: if your officials are too scared to speak up, it's not about them being "confident" or "willing to speak up", it's about you guys creating a culture where they're not safe to do so . And by the way, what's with this focus on safety? It sounds like a weak excuse to me

omg u no i think this whole situation is super sus like benning says child was being all creepy & stuff but pgmol dont believe her lol howeever webb makes some kinda point tho about the safety of refs in womens footy its def a growth area so maybe officials arent as confident yet i feel for benning tho, harassment is never okay and im all 4 making complaints & speaking out if ur scared cuz ppl will be like "dude chill" or somethin but idk maybe webb was just tryna stress the importance of officials being brave ?

OMG I'm so disappointed in this whole thing . Lisa Benn's story is like, super relatable . We've all been there where we feel like our voices aren't being heard . It's not cool that Steve Child made her an unwanted comment and grabbed her... that's just crazy . PGMOL should be doing more to support their female refs . I mean, Howard Webb saying they need them to be confident and speak up is like, easy for him to say but what about the ladies who are actually out there doing it ? We need more women in football leadership positions . This whole thing is just so frustrating .

I think Lisa Benn is being a bit unfair, you know? I mean, Howard Webb's got a point about her not making it onto that referee list. It's not like she was just suddenly kicked off the team, but the competition's pretty fierce, right? And yeah, there might've been some safety concerns with refs in the women's game... gotta make sure they're feeling confident and willing to speak up, you know? I don't think it's about being a victim or anything like that. It's more about doing what's best for the game.

can't believe the PGMOL's stance on Lisa Benn

lol what a double standard btw lisas claims of harassment sound legit and i think pgomol is just trying 2 sweep it under the rug why did they have 2 deny her int claims? its not like she was asking 4 a promotion or somethin, shes just speakin out about safety concerns in the game & btw, steve childs behavior sounds super unprofessional

so like umm i was just thinking about this thing with Lisa Benn and Howard Webb... i mean i dont think its right that she got her badge taken away cuz of some guy who grabbed her but at the same time i feel bad for how it must have made her feel . like what if he did do that tho? you would be all shaken up . anyway back to Howard Webb... i mean whats with him saying referees gotta be confident and stuff? isnt that just, like, a bit obvious? shouldnt they already know how to be confident on the field?

idk why ppl r defending Lisa Benn here . if she was really scared of speaking up bcos some refs thought her complaint would get back 2 them, that's a huge problem. Webb's right tho, we need referees who are confident & open about reporting incidents. if Benn was really victimized by Child, she should've spoken out sooner . now she's just tryin 2 cash in on it .

I'm totally with Lisa Benn on this one . I mean, who wants to get grabbed and threatened by someone in a position of power? It's not right that she's being blamed for speaking out about it . The fact that Steve Child is coaching in the WSL now just makes me more annoyed . And what really gets my goat is that Howard Webb is trying to make it sound like Lisa wasn't good enough as a referee, rather than dealing with the actual issue . I think PGMOL needs to take a closer look at how they handle these kinds of complaints and make sure their officials feel safe and supported .

I'm skeptical about this whole thing . If there's a problem with female referees feeling scared to speak out, shouldn't that be addressed by the PGMOL itself? Not by just saying they want their officials to be confident and open... how does that even work? They're gonna put these officials on the field and expect them to just magically feel safe and confident? It's not like they can just magic it away. And what about supporting the referees who are actually being harassed or intimidated?

I'm kinda skeptical about this whole situation . It seems like PGMOL is trying to cover their own backside by saying Benn was dropped due to poor performance, but I think there's more to it than that. I mean, if Child's behavior was as bad as Benn claims, wouldn't that be a pretty big reason to strip her of her badge? The fact that they're downplaying the harassment allegations and instead focusing on "safety concerns" in the women's game just seems like a way to sidestep accountability . And can we really blame Benn for speaking out about what she experienced? If there are other officials who are too afraid to make complaints, that's a bigger problem than just one person getting dropped from the referee list .

When you point a finger at someone, three fingers point back at you.