Former Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba, is on a mission to combat the cost of living crisis in the UK. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, he revealed that ending poverty is the primary goal of a new ethical fund he is launching.
Pogba’s personal experiences with poverty during his upbringing have motivated him to make a difference. He vividly recalls queuing with his mother at food banks when he was just a child. “I remember we used to go there when I was four or five,” the 30-year-old shared. “They help you with milk, sugar, and all this stuff, and my mum used to go there and queue. She was a mother of three and divorced from my father.”
The football star’s path to success was far from easy. “I didn’t just come up like this and have money,” he emphasized. “I struggled, and it made me improve and grow. I now have the value of money and the value of life. I know what it is to struggle. I saw it, my mother did it.”
Pogba, known for his time at Juventus and the French national team, signed for Manchester United in 2016 in a record-breaking deal. During his stay in Manchester, he could not ignore the poverty that surrounded him. He praised his former teammate, Marcus Rashford, for his efforts in securing holiday food vouchers for children receiving free school meals.
As a devout Muslim, charity holds a significant place in Pogba’s faith. He believes that high-profile athletes have a social responsibility to help their communities. “I want to help because it can be huge for some people,” he explained. “It’s nothing for us, but it can be huge for them.”
To achieve his philanthropic vision, Pogba’s fund operates based on Islamic principles called waqf, meaning endowment in Arabic. The fund is run by a digital investment platform called Wahed, in collaboration with a UK-registered charity. The ultimate goal is to establish a self-sustaining model of giving.
Umer Suleman, Wahed’s compliance director, elucidated, “Essentially it is a perpetual endowment where you give money that is invested and the income that’s generated from that is used for good.”
The focus of the partnership lies in education, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development, guided by the principles of Islamic finance and social responsibility.
The ethical fund has been launched in the UK, but Pogba’s ambitions go beyond borders. “You have to start somewhere,” he said. “You can start with one person, then two, then three, and then it will get bigger and bigger. We just try to help as much as we can, and hopefully, if we can touch everyone, ending poverty would be the goal.” Pogba’s commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of those in need is a testament to the power of compassion and dedication.
