BBC investigation examines pay and conditions at football shirt factories

BBC Sport has traced official football shirts for Arsenal, Liverpool, Celtic and Real Madrid to Cambodian factories where it reports basic pay below £1 an hour. Its investigation identified Bowker Garment Factory and Trax Apparel, both Adidas suppliers.

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Five payslips reviewed by the BBC showed monthly basic salaries of $210-$220, compliant with local minimum-wage rules. Three recorded earnings of around $300 after overtime and allowances. Interviewed workers nevertheless described difficulty covering living costs, alongside excessive heat and verbal abuse.

Adidas told the BBC both factories had measures to manage heat and that harassment breached its standards. It said it conducts around 1,200 factory audits annually. Trax acknowledged elevated temperatures but said cooling systems were operating.

Trax reported average monthly earnings of $305-$342 this year and disputed that its approach relied on enforcing output targets. Bowker did not respond to the BBC, which also received no comment from the clubs named in its report.

The concerns sit alongside broader findings from Better Factories Cambodia, part of the International Labour Organization and International Finance Corporation's Better Work programme. Better Factories Cambodia was established in 2001. Its 2024 annual report draws primarily on 381 garment-factory assessments. It found 69% of assessed factories failed requirements for acceptable temperature and ventilation, while 84.3% had at least one worker-protection compliance issue.

Those figures describe the assessed industry, rather than establish the specific allegations made in the BBC investigation. The report said indoor temperatures often reached 34-36C, exceeding the programme's recommended maximum of 32C, including at some sites with cooling equipment. Its assessments also identified problems involving protective equipment, machinery safeguards and training for workers.

Adidas's published supplier policy makes its workplace standards contractual requirements covering labour rights, safety and environmental protection. The company says they draw on international law and ILO conventions, with supporting guidance on employment, health and safety, and enforcement. Its stated procedures require businesses and licensees to inspect, select and authorise suppliers in accordance with those standards.