BBC investigation traces official football shirts to low-paid Cambodian workers

Workers making official shirts for major football clubs in Cambodia receive basic pay equivalent to less than £1 an hour, according to a BBC Sport investigation published on Thursday. The broadcaster traced production to Bowker Garment Factory and Trax Apparel, where employees described financial hardship, uncomfortable heat and pressure on factory production lines.

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The BBC reported that images from the factories showed kits for Arsenal, Celtic, Liverpool and Real Madrid. Both facilities are primary Adidas suppliers, although the sportswear company does not own them. Bowker employs about 3,400 people on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, while roughly 3,200 work at Trax, around 10 miles away. Tasks include sewing, ironing and packaging shirts.

Five payslips examined by the BBC showed basic monthly salaries of $210-$220, equivalent to £158-£166, for staff typically working six eight-hour shifts each week. Those salaries meet local minimum-wage requirements. Three payslips showed total monthly income of approximately $300 after overtime and allowances, but the broadcaster said that involved significant additional hours. Workers interviewed anonymously described struggling to cover everyday expenses.

Employees also told the BBC that group production targets ranged from 300 to 700 items daily, with some alleging verbal abuse when quotas were missed. A photograph from Bowker showed a thermometer reading 35.2C. One employee alleged receiving two electric shocks from an exposed wire and said action followed only after the second incident. These accounts formed part of interviews that the BBC said were supported by documentary evidence.

Adidas told the broadcaster that both factories had measures to manage heat, that harassment breached its standards and that Bowker's records contained no electrical accidents. It said it conducts around 1,200 factory audits annually. Adidas also said average net wages at a sample of Cambodian suppliers exceeded a living-wage benchmark by 34%. Trax reported average monthly employee earnings of $305-$342 this year, acknowledged periods of high temperatures and said cooling systems were available. It disputed that its approach relied on enforcing output targets. Bowker did not respond.

The investigation followed complaints from supporters about rising shirt prices. The BBC reported that the average adult replica Premier League shirt price had increased 50.7% over a decade. The Premier League expects clubs to conduct appropriate checks on kit manufacturers and supply chains, according to the report. None of the clubs named in the BBC article responded to its requests for comment.