BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN-ROSE
French football star Paul Pogba becomes shareholder and ambassador of Al Haboob, a Saudi-based professional camel racing team, marking a unique crossover between football and traditional Gulf sport
Paul Pogba becomes the first professional footballer to buy into the sport.
Al Haboob, based in Saudi Arabia, labels itself as the world’s professional camel racing team. Organisers say they are laying the foundations for the sport’s first professional league.
Pogba has signed on as both an ambassador and a shareholder.
Camel racing is predominantly a Gulf sport, with the animals racing across a certain distance with robots – rather than humans – positioned as the ‘jockey.’
Footage of the sport has shown team officials driving alongside the race in cars, controlling whips used by the robots via remote control.
Al Haboob were formed in 2021 alongside the RedSea Camel Company, a group of breeders. In 2024, Netflix released a series on the team called Camel Quest.
“I am incredibly excited to be joining forces with Al Haboob,” Pogba said.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed with many opportunities and proposals, but this one felt different. It spoke to me on a deeper level – to culture, to legacy, to storytelling.”
“Joining Al Haboob felt like being invited into a new family, and saying yes was an easy decision.
“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.
Pogba recently returned to action for AS Monaco following a doping ban, marking his return from a two-year absence.
