Cambodian Workers Paid Under £1 an Hour to Make Premier League Football Shirts

Garment workers in Cambodia are being paid less than £1 per hour to manufacture official replica football shirts for prominent clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Celtic, according to an investigation by BBC Sport. Production was traced to two primary suppliers, Bowker Garment Factory and Trax Apparel, located near Phnom Penh. The findings expose stark labor disparities in the global sportswear supply chain as fan frustration over soaring retail kit prices reaches unprecedented levels.

Payslips reviewed by journalists reveal basic monthly salaries ranging between $210 and $220 (£158 to £166) for six eight-hour shifts per week, meeting local minimum-wage laws but leaving laborers struggling to cover basic food and rent. Total earnings reached roughly $300 (£226) only after substantial overtime. Workers described extreme heat reaching over 35°C, demanding quotas of up to 700 shirts per day, safety hazards, and verbal abuse. "One shirt costs more than two weeks' salary for a worker," one Trax employee noted, while the Clean Clothes Campaign described the conditions as a "very grim picture."

Industry research indicates that out of a standard £85 replica shirt, manufacturing, fabric, and shipping account for just £8.50, compared to £37.45 captured by retailers and £16.25 by brand manufacturers. Sportswear giant Adidas, which supplies eight of the 20 English Premier League teams and contracts both facilities, maintains that its suppliers undergo roughly 1,200 annual audits. Adidas stated that average net wages across its Cambodian suppliers exceeded living-wage benchmarks by 34% and affirmed that workplace standards prohibit harassment and prioritize heat management.

The findings highlight systemic labor issues throughout Cambodia's garment sector, where a 2024 International Labour Organization study found 69% of factories struggled with heat management and 84% had worker protection deficiencies. Trax Apparel stated that cooling systems are operational and denied enforcing output targets, while Bowker did not comment. As retail kit prices frequently surpass £90 to £120, brand manufacturers and elite football clubs face escalating scrutiny from rights networks and supporters over labor equity in their overseas production hubs.