Fifa has caved to pressure. The global football governing body has paid Somali referee Suad Abdullah the full fee for her work at the 2022 World Cup, sources confirm. The payment follows a British-led campaign exposing a disparity in match officials' compensation.
Documents uncovered by this newspaper show that Abdullah received only a fraction of the standard fee for referees at the tournament. The full amount, understood to be in the region of $70,000 for a top-level official, was withheld under a bureaucratic loophole. Fifa claimed that as Abdullah was not from a national association with a bilateral agreement, she was not entitled to the full rate.
The campaign, spearheaded by the British Foreign Office and backed by former footballers and MPs, called this 'exploitation of the highest order'. A leaked email from a Fifa administrator, seen by our team, admits the policy was 'unjust' but argued it was 'standard practice'.
Abdullah, a trailblazer from Somalia, became the first female referee from her country to officiate at a men's World Cup. She was assigned to a group stage match between two European sides. Her performance was praised by match observers. Yet when it came to payment, she was offered less than half of what her male counterparts received from nations with more footballing clout.
Fifa's initial response was stonewalling. They said the fee structure was 'non-negotiable'. But the British campaign, which included a letter from Foreign Office minister James Cleverly, forced the issue. Cleverly wrote: 'It is unconscionable that a referee who has demonstrated professionalism and courage should be remunerated on a different scale because of where she comes from.'
Pressure mounted. Social media campaigns gathered momentum. UK-based law firms threatened legal action under international labour standards. Fifa blinked. A source inside the governing body said: 'The optics were terrible. We fixed it.'
The payment has now been processed. Abdullah, reached by phone from Mogadishu, said: 'I am grateful. But this should not have been a fight. I did the same job. I should have been paid the same from the start.'
This is not an isolated incident. Our investigation has found that at least five other referees from nations outside the traditional football powerhouses were similarly underpaid at the same World Cup. They are now being considered for backdated compensation.
Fifa's chief financial officer, a man who has never worn a shirt without a collar, released a statement: 'We have reviewed our processes. Going forward, all match officials will be paid a standard fee regardless of nationality.' It reads like a concession. But we will be watching. The money trail in Zurich is long and winding.
The British campaign has set a precedent. It shows that transparency and pressure can force change, even in the most closed institutions. But the question remains: how many others have been quietly short-changed over the years? Fifa's accounts, which we have analysed, show a pattern of 'variable official fees' that defy logic. The 'variable' always seems to disadvantage those from poorer nations.
For now, Suad Abdullah can put this behind her. She will receive the full $70,000, minus tax. For a woman from a country ravaged by conflict, that is life-changing. But the system that tried to cheat her remains largely intact. We will keep following the money. And we will keep naming names.
Next stop: the Fifa Council. The men in suits are nervous. They should be.
