JEDDAH: French football icon and AS Monaco midfielder Paul Pogba signed on Wednesday a historic partnership with the world’s first professional camel racing team, Saudi-based Al Haboob, becoming their ambassador and shareholder.
Pogba’s involvement with Al Haboob, which was cofounded by entrepreneurs Omar Almaeena and Safwan Modir and competes across the Gulf Cooperation Council, brings unprecedented international attention to a sport long thriving under the regional spotlight.
The Frenchman said: “I am incredibly excited to be joining forces with Al Haboob. From the moment I spoke with Omar and Safwan, I felt their passion, their vision, and their genuine love for this sport.
“They are forward-thinking entrepreneurs who want to build something meaningful, and that energy is contagious — it’s something I picked up on from our very first meeting.
“Their ambition to elevate camel racing onto a global stage is something I truly connect with,” said Pogba, who added that joining Al Haboob felt like being invited into a new family, and saying yes was an easy decision.
Pogba is the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, UEFA Nations League champion, four-time Serie A champion with Juventus, and Europa League winner with Manchester United.
“I look for unique, exciting opportunities that challenge me and allow me to grow. Al Haboob represents exactly that: something fresh, something meaningful, and something exciting while staying true to who I am,” said Pogba.
Founded in Saudi Arabia, Al Haboob combines centuries-old heritage with elite performance, advanced veterinary care, and cinematic storytelling.
Almaeena and Modir, whose journey into the sport began in 2021 with the launch of RedSea Camel Co., also co-created and starred in the Netflix series “Camel Quest,” which highlighted camel culture across Saudi Arabia and followed their ambition to compete in major festivals.
Their long-term vision is to establish the world’s first professional Camel Racing League, elevating the sport to international standards while honoring its rich history.
“Paul’s involvement is transformational. This partnership is about more than racing; it is about sharing a heritage that deserves global recognition,” said Almaeena, an entrepreneur, actor, creative producer and endurance racing champion who represented Saudi Arabia in Compiegne, France, back in 2000.
Meanwhile, Modir, an entrepreneur and owner of multiple businesses in the camel sector, commented: “Al Haboob was never just a sporting idea; it is the embodiment of a national energy that believes the impossible can be achieved. This vision, this boldness, and this drive to break into new global frontiers are all inspired by the powerful leadership of our visionary guide and architect of our national transformation, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”
French FIFA World Cup winner Paul Pogba partners with Saudi camel racing team Al Haboob
https://arab.news/nypy3
French FIFA World Cup winner Paul Pogba partners with Saudi camel racing team Al Haboob
- AS Monaco midfielder said joining Al Haboob felt like being invited into a new family, and saying yes was an easy decision
- Pogba: ‘I look for unique, exciting opportunities that challenge me and allow me to grow’
History-chasing Djokovic and Alcaraz to meet in Australian Open final after epic semifinal wins
- Carlos Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam
- Novak Djokovic is aiming to be the oldest man in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic finally beat one of the two men who have been blocking his path to an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title when he edged Jannik Sinner in five sets Friday to reach the Australian Open final.
To get that coveted No. 25, he’ll next have to beat the other: top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.
They’re both chasing history in Sunday’s championship decider, with the 22-year-old Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.
The top-ranked Alcaraz also had to come through a grueling five-setter. He fended off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that started in the warmth of the afternoon Friday and, 5 hours and 27 minutes later, became the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open.
That pushed the start of Djokovic’s match against Sinner back a couple of hours, and the 38-year-old Djokovic finally finished off a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win just after 1:30 a.m.
“It feels surreal,” Djokovic said of his 4-hour, 9-minute triumph. “Honestly, it feels like winning already tonight. I know I have to come back … and fight the No. 1 of the world. I just hope that I’ll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him.
“That’s my desire. Let the God decide the winner.”
Djokovic was at the peak of his defensive powers, fending off 16 of the 18 breakpoints he faced against the two-time defending Australian Open champion. It ended a run of five losses to Sinner, and a run of four semifinal exits for Djokovic at the majors.
“Had many chances, couldn’t use them, and that’s the outcome,” Sinner said. “Yeah, it hurts, for sure.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last eight major titles between them since Djokovic won his last title at the 2023 US Open.
Nobody knows how to win more at Melbourne Park than Djokovic. He has won all 10 times he’s contested the Australian Open final.
He said he saw Alcaraz after the first of the semifinals was over and he congratulated him on reaching his first final at Melbourne Park.
“He said sorry to delay,” Djokovic later explained. “I told him ‘I’m an old man, I need to go earlier to sleep!”
Djokovic, aiming to be the oldest man in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title, was kept up late.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him on Sunday,” he said.
Final 4
With the top four seeds reaching the Australian Open men’s semifinals for just the fifth time, Day 13 was destined to produce some drama. The season-opening major had been a relatively slow burn, until the back-to-back five-setters lasting a combined 9 hours and 36 minutes.
Alcaraz and Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, surpassed the 2009 classic between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco as the longest ever Australian Open semifinal.
Medical timeout
Alcaraz was as close as two points from victory in the third set but was hampered by pain in his upper right leg and his medical timeout became contentious.
He said initially it didn’t feel like cramping because the pain seemed to be just in one muscle, the right adductor, and he needed an assessment.
He navigated the third and fourth sets and was behind in the fifth after dropping serve in the first game. He kept up the pressure but didn’t break back until Zverev was serving for the match. He then won the last four games.
“I think physically we just pushed each other to the limit today. We pushed our bodies to the limit,” Alcaraz said. “Just really, really happy to get the win, that I came back. I just rank this one in the top position of one of the best matches that I have ever won.”
Believe
Asked how he was able to recover despite being so close to defeat, Alcaraz admitted he was struggling but said kept “believing, believing, all the time.”
“I’ve been in these situations, I’ve been in these kinds of matches before, so I knew what I had to do,” he said. “I had to put my heart into the match. I think I did it. I fought until the last ball.”
Zverev was demonstrably upset about the time out out in the third set, taking it up with a tournament supervisor, when his rival was given the three-minute break for treatment and a massage on the leg.
After the match, he maintained that he didn’t think it was right, but he didn’t think it should overshadow the match.
“I don’t want to talk about this right now, because I think this is one of the best battles there ever was in Australia,” he said “It doesn’t deserve to be the topic now.”
