Premiere at the Marrakech Polo Club: Players of the Moroccan Royal Guard, Argentine professionals and patrons from Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and France took part in the first edition of the Marrakech Polo Patrons Tour from March 10-11. Winning team of this important kick-off tournament was the international team TGCC with Amed Mounkachi (Morocco), Ignacio Tejerina (Argentina), Christophe Allemandou (Patron from France) and Bruno Rossi (France). In a competitive final they could defeat team Nespresso with Massimo Baggi (Swiss Ambassador of Switzerland in Morocco), Michele Cattadori (Italy), Captain El Mhamedi Simohammed from the Moroccan Royal Guards and Haytam Hanafi (Morocco). The third place was gained by team Dar Sabra who could win against team Ritz-Carlton.
The exotic Marrakech Polo Club is located only 20 minutes outside Marrakech and opened it’s gates to the polo public in October 2015. Before that, only the British Polo Day hosted a tournament per year. With the arrival of the new polo manager Pablo Casero the place came to life, hosting practices, schools, and tournaments since then. The general project in which the polo club is implemented is called “The Ritz Carlton Residences Marrakech.” The project will include 85 villas, a hotel, club house and a wide range ofinfastructure and polo facilities.
POLO+10 correspondant in Morocco Benada Rabii: „The three day event had more than polo to it; patrons could discover the city, see the sights, and savour traditional Moroccan food. It was a complete success!“
Pablo Casero describes the founding and growth of the Marrakech Polo Club: „The club’s patron is Ammar Abdelhadi from Saudi Arabia. His family was invited to Morocco in 1994. and having many friends in polo (like Rashid Al Habtoor and Amr Zedan), Ammar saw the potential the sport had in Marrakech: it is close to Europe and has good weather conditions during the winter. Ammar is a horse lover and is learning to play polo. Our field was built by the same people who developed Santa Maria Polo Club in Sotogrande. They helped us a lot. Patrick Hermes is one of the founders – he is the Honorary President of the club – and he has also been an instrumental part of the process. Richard Branson’s mother, Eve Branson, is also an Honorary President of the club. She has a special bond with Ammar and the city of Marrakech.“
Foto : Lucia Halabicová
POLO+10 correspondant in Morocco: Benada Rabii
contact@jnanamarpoloclub.com
Pablo Casero: +212 661 214 555