Ho urges 'more support and training' for WSL referees after Arsenal 2-1 win at Tottenham

Tottenham manager Martin Ho called for "more support and more full-time [referees]" for Women's Super League officials after Arsenal beat Spurs 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, a match decided by Alessia Russo's 56th-minute penalty.

The penalty was awarded by referee Phoebe Cross after a sequence in which Lisa Baum's shot struck the post and Cathinka Tandberg's clearance then hit Spurs team-mate Ella Morris' outstretched hand. According to the laws, if the ball hits a hand after it was played by a team-mate, an indirect free-kick should be awarded. Ho questioned the decision on the pitch, saying: "My interpretation of the rule is if your team-mate hits it and your team-mate is one yard away, time and distance is taken into account and it's not a penalty." He added: "That's what we were told at the start of the season in the referee's meeting. I asked the question, 'how is it [a penalty] from that distance?' They couldn't give me an answer on the pitch."

Ho said he planned to speak with match officials after the game to understand their perspective, telling reporters: "I said I would come and speak to them after the game because I want to understand it, I want to understand what they're seeing. Then I can accept a decision that is there." He added: "When that decides a game, it's frustrating, because it's not within the laws of the game."

The Spurs manager acknowledged that WSL referees have "a hard enough job" but asserted that standards have "got worse than last year". The match took place without video assistant referee (VAR) or goalline technology in use in the WSL, and not all match officials are employed full-time.

Ho called for increased resources and staffing, saying: "They need more support and more full-time [referees]." He also remarked on scheduling limitations, commenting: "I understand there is probably a rule where they can't do more than one game on a weekend and that's nothing against any of the referees, but they had an elite referee [Lisa Benn] on the side the pitch. For a big game, put them in the middle."

Earlier this month, the Guardian reported the wait for full-time WSL referees was set to continue until 2029 despite a recent funding boost. Ho pointed to recurring contentious decisions across the division, adding: "I think that's where they need more support, more training, because when you look at most decisions that are going on, there's a lot of controversy in a lot of games." He also noted: "We got two bookings in the first half but we were being dragged back by the shirt by Arsenal players and didn't get anything. That's probably the frustrating part."

BBC Sport has contacted WSL Football for a response.

The result leaves Tottenham still one point above rivals Arsenal in the WSL.