HOWARD WEBB will appear in court next week after the PGMOL were accused of ruining the career of a female referee, who felt “threatened” by one of their officials.
Webb, 54, heads up the organisation as its Chief Refereeing Officer.
The claims come from ex-Women’s Super League (WSL) referee Lisa Benn, 34, who alleges she was sidelined by the PGMOL after making a complaint against ex-Prem assistant referee Steve Child.
Benn claims she was “physically manhandled and threatened” by Child at a men’s tournament in 2023, which was organised to help WSL officials gain more VAR experience.
But an investigation by the PGMOL did not meet their threshold for disciplinary action against Child, according to a report by the Telegraph.
Benn alleges Webb and his wife Bibi Steinhaus-Webb – who was then head of women’s referees at the PGMOL – gave her assurances she would not be punished for coming forwards.
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But she claims that she later lost her place in Fifa’s list of referees and her £20,000-a-year PGMOL salary after making the complaint.
She allegedly failed to be nominated for one of Fifa’s five spots for English referees in December 2023, despite ranking fifth among the top WSL officials.
That came after being nominated by the FA in the previous two years based on her PGMOL performance.
The FA had submitted six names to Fifa, with Benn the sixth name on the list – the Telegraph went on to say. Fifa had only requested five.
The report adds that documents revealed Webb was involved in the decision to put Benn as the sixth name.
The Fifa nomination would have meant Benn could travel for international games and UEFA matches, with the salary allowing her to take time off from her Sussex County FA job.
Benn was later told by Steinhaus-Webb that there would be a “more holistic” approach to the Fifa nomination process, with ranking not a guaranteed factor.
At the beginning of 2024, Benn became self-employed and was forced to rely on match fees.
She ranked second for WSL officials in the 2023-24 season but missed out on the nomination for the second year in a row.
Benn has filed an unfair dismissal complaint against the PGMOL and a tribunal will begin at an employment court in Croydon on Monday.
Her claim requests for compensation for direct discrimination, harassment, victimisation, unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and unlawful deduction of wages.
Webb will give evidence on behalf of the PGMOL, where he remains in the top role. Steinhaus-Webb now works as Fifa’s Head of Refereeing.
The PGMOL denies all of Benn’s claims.
