Paul Pogba, the former Manchester United midfielder, has invested in Al Haboob, a camel racing club in Saudi Arabia, with ambitions to take the sport to Europe and potentially Royal Ascot.
Pogba's stake in Al Haboob
The 33-year-old France international, who joined Monaco last year, holds a minority stake in Al Haboob, described as a "decent" slice by his fellow camel-owning peers. He has expressed a desire to maintain a stable featuring a $5m star camel.
Al Haboob is the brainchild of two Saudi men, Omar Almaeena and Safwan Modir, and was introduced last year to demonstrate that camel racing can be a viable business. The sport, traditionally dominated by royal families and aristocrats in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, features races with over 85 entries and prize money running into tens of millions of Riyals, roughly £4m, with the day likened to Ascot's Champions Day.
From tribal origins to modern business
Camel racing dates back over 1000 years, when tribes of the Arabian Peninsula raced camels to settle disputes, with victors earning prized beachheads for trade and survival. The sport has since transformed, with competitive camels costing as little as £40,000, and owners potentially earning nearly £1m from race winnings and selling their camels to royal stables, which often snap up top finishers.
Almaeena told City AM: "Paul's involvement centres on the intersection between sport and global icons. He's not just there as an ambassador and for marketing, he is invested in the team as a shareholder and understands the value of what this means."
Expansion plans and European ambitions
The duo, who star in the Gulf Netflix series Camel Quest, aim to franchise the model and inspire more people to enter the industry. Modir noted that Pogba's involvement has exposed an entire football fan base to camel racing, and major players like Shell and prominent Gulf banks are now backing races.
Regarding a potential race at Royal Ascot, Almaeena responds "definitely" but concedes that European perceptions of camels and the illnesses they can transmit present a hurdle, as the EU opposes importing the animals. He adds: "There is a possibility that within the next 14 months we will have a race somewhere in Europe."
The sport has also modernised by replacing child jockeys with robotic alternatives in the early 2000s, following reports of trafficking. Modir expresses a wish to attract Shaquille O'Neal as an investor: "Hopefully we attract Shaquille O'Neal to invest. That's a wish that we have: Shaq on the track."
