The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) regrets, that the question of the FIFA’s position on ethical matters overshadows the World Cup 2002. The World Cup is an international sporting event which stirs the passion of millions of people around the world. However, in the shadows of this festivity, thousands of workers are exploited as cheap labour to produce sporting goods used in official matches and merchandise sold in stores around the world. While they are paid much less than the minimum wage, it is inevitable that children are required to start working alongside them at early age in order to support the family.

Take action now and send a protest letter to FIFA President Mr. Joseph S. Blatter.

The CCC is shocked to read (in the letter dated 16 April 2002) that FIFA "cannot be held responsible for the labour conditions in factories". This statement is in clear contradiction with the fact that FIFA has included a range of labour standards in its standard contracts with companies that are using the FIFA and/or World Cup logo.
The violations of the legal and social obligations of both FIFA and the sporting goods industry towards the workers and children cannot go on any longer. Therefore, we demand that FIFA must respect FAIR PAY (see statement of May 28 2002):

	Take full responsibility for the labour conditions in all the factories where FIFA licensed goods are manufactured;
	Make sure that no child is employed in the production of FIFA-licensed sportswear and footballs, as well as making sure that all children removed from labour are rehabilitated and given the opportunity to receive an education;
	Sign and implement the FIFA Code of Labour Practice that was agreed upon by FIFA, ICFTU, ITGLF and FIET (now UNI) in 1996 and declare that code to be binding in all contracts with FIFA licenses and sponsors; and,
	Agree on a transparent, credible and independent system for the monitoring and the verification of production as it is outlined in the Clean Clothes Campaign code of labour practice.

The statement that FIFA cannot be held responsible for the labour conditions in factories strongly increases the CCC’s concerns about the implementation of corporate responsibility obligations within FIFA’s business activities. FIFA, via FIFA Marketing, does have large commercial interests via its contracts with the sporting goods industry and other sponsors and licensees. These interests need to be matched with a corresponding responsibility for the implementation of the labour rights of the workers in the sportswear industry.