It is known as the sport of the sheikhs, with thousands of fans packing desert tracks to watch robot jockeys compete for huge prizes. Now professional camel racing has a new high-profile investor: Paul Pogba.
The Monaco midfielder said he had become a shareholder in the Saudi Arabia-based Al Haboob, the world’s first professional camel racing team competing across the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf, because he wanted to “elevate the sport on to a global stage”.
“I’ve always been someone who wants to try new things and do things differently – whether it’s how I play, how I express myself, or how I approach life off the pitch,” the former Manchester United player said. “That mindset has followed me into my business world too.”
The sport involves significant investment, with top camels selling for millions of pounds and races offering large prizes. Last year the prize pool for the AlUla Camel Cup, the most lucrative competition in the sport, was $6.4m (£4.81m) across 16 races.
Pogba, who became the world’s most expensive player when he joined Manchester United from Juventus in 2016 for £89m, has set his sights on owning the world’s most expensive camel.
“Owning the world’s most expensive camel one day would be a beautiful full-circle moment – something fun, something meaningful and something that excites me,” he told the BBC. “Maybe one day we make it happen.”
Al Haboob, founded by the entrepreneurs Omar Almaeena and Safwan Modir, is the first modern camel racing team to compete internationally. Modir said the team’s aspirations go far beyond sport.
Paul Pogba said he had ‘spent time doing research in my spare time trying to understand the techniques and strategies’ of camel racing. Photograph: Mohammed Elsayed
“At Al Haboob, we do not merely represent a racing team – we represent the ambition of a nation, the belief of a people, and a genuine determination for Saudis to be No 1 across every field of life, from sport and business to culture and innovation.”
In the past, camel racing has been criticised for low standards of animal welfare and for its use of child jockeys. However the sport now uses robot jockeys, equipped with GPS tracking, and Modir has said Al Haboob’s camels are trained and cared for to world-class standards.
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“Our camels are prepared with the same care and discipline you would expect from elite athletes,” he said. “Every aspect of their training, nutrition, and wellbeing is carefully managed to monitor their safety and optimise their overall performance. With Paul joining us, we are taking this movement to a global stage and shaping the future of camel racing.”
Pogba, who returned to football last month after an 18-month ban for taking a supplement containing a banned substance, insisted his investment had come about because he was a big fan of the sport.
“I’ve watched my fair share of races on YouTube and spent time doing research in my spare time trying to understand the techniques and strategies,” he said. “And what stood out to me is how much dedication it takes from everyone involved. At the end of the day, sport is sport. It demands heart, sacrifice and teamwork.”
