A leading female football official has told an employment tribunal that she was 'forcefully pushed' by a referee coach and that his behaviour was influenced by her gender. Lisa Benn, 34, a Women's Super League referee, claims she was harassed and unfairly lost her position as an international referee after raising a complaint.
Giving evidence to a south London tribunal on Monday, Benn alleged that Steve Child, a Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) coach and former Premier League assistant referee, manhandled her on a pitch in 2023. She also claimed Child told her 'your card has been marked'. A PGMO investigation found Child's behaviour did not meet the threshold for disciplinary action.
Benn alleges that after her complaint, PGMO did not recommend her as highly as previously, costing her a place on Fifa's international referee list. She said the incident occurred during a tournament on 29 March 2023, when Child, who was stressed, grabbed her arm and pushed her onto the pitch. Benn rejected the suggestion that he merely ushered her, stating: 'That is definitely not what happened.'
During the match, Child instructed a fourth official to tell Benn to 'kill the game', prompting Benn to swear at him through the communications system. She said: 'I've never had somebody shout down the comms to tell me how to referee... He manhandled me on to the field of play – he would never have done that to a male referee.'
Benn became emotional as she told the panel: 'He made me feel inferior, as a referee and as a human being, and that's not OK.' She said she had seen him act similarly towards other female referees but not male ones. The tribunal continues.
