Brisk business anywhere is brisk business and opportunity they say wrongly or rightly comes but once. With barely four months to the kickoff of the 2022 World cup in Qatar, landlords in the oil rich country have reportedly hiked rents by 40%

World Cup host Qatar has tried everything from cruise ships, desert camps and regional shuttle flights to ensure a limited supply of accommodation can meet an expected 1.2 million visitors during the month-long tournament.

esidents in popular neighborhoods say they’re being forced to agree to rent hikes of as much as 40 per cent and contract periods stretching two years. Faced with rents they can no longer afford, some residents say they’ve been forced to move even after years of tenancy.

Many hotels have been forced to get long-term occupants to vacate and make room for teams and officials, leaving residents with few options in a country that has an 88 per cent expatriate population and low rates of home ownership.

That’s helped engineer a turnaround in the property market after more than seven years of slumping demand, when entire buildings sat vacant as new residential, commercial and hospitality supply poured into the market.

First-quarter rents rose 3.3 per cent, helped by the recent surge in demand, according to data compiled by ValuStrat, while average prices on the Pearl an artificial island neighborhood popular with white-collar expats surged 19 per cent. Housing was the second-biggest contributor to a June inflation rate of 5.4 per cent in Qatar, where costs are climbing faster than any other Gulf Arab state.

FIFA alone has reserved thousands of rooms in hotels and their attached residences for players, staffers and other officials. Local organisers have also struck deals with property owners to earmark about 60,000 apartments for fans. Landlords are eager to benefit. An Airbnb search shows most one-bedroom apartments in the Pearl advertised at more than $1,000 a night during the tournament. These apartments currently rent for an average of 9,500 riyals ($2,580) per month, according to ValuStrat, up from 8,000 riyals in the fourth quarter.

A Qatari government official said the country’s real estate rental market “caters to a range of preferences and budgets” and that with “increased demand for accommodation during the World Cup, landlords and tenants are required by law to observe the terms and conditions of their lease agreement”.

“This is, to my mind, a relatively temporary blip caused by the World Cup and its related effects,” Commercial Bank of Qatar CEO Joseph Abraham said in a Bloomberg TV interview last month. After the World Cup, “you’ll see that pressure come off rentals as there will be increased supply too so that component of the inflationary index will come down,” he said.

Joseph Parker believes it will be Oleksandr Usyk who prevails in his highly anticipated rematch with Anthony Joshua.

The New Zealand heavyweight is a former opponent of Joshua, with the two going head-to-head in 2018 which saw ‘AJ’ adding Parker’s WBO belt to his collection, as well as going the 12-round distance for the first time.

Joshua is now at a much different stage of his career since that bout, having lost his heavyweight belts twice, most recently being outclassed by Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.

Now the 32-year-old heads back to Saudi Arabia on August 20 looking to regain those heavyweight belts from the Ukrainian, just as he did against Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.

Despite having praise for his former opponent, Parker told Sky Sports he believes it will be Usyk with his hand raised at the end. 

“He was a good champion, and he can be champion again. It’s just that it’s up to him now.”

“It’s up to him and his new team to make the changes that he needs to attack what Usyk’s going to bring.”

“There’s a lot of support for him. Everyone’s supporting him here in the UK. But also, Usyk’s got a lot of support as well from his home, so we’ll see what happens.”

Andy Lee trained heavyweight then made his pick for the rematch in Jeddah.

“I would have to side with Usyk (winning) just because the confidence that he’s going to come in with from the first fight. But it’ll be interesting.”

After winning the Danish league’s Young Player of the Year Award, following his impressive performances last season, Nigerian midfielder Raphael Onyedika has emerged a top transfer target for Serie A champions, AC Milan.

Onyedika enjoyed a great season at Midtllyand last term and was instrumental to the club’s success as they get set for European competition this season.

According to Pietro Mazzara of Milan News, Onyedika is Paolo Maldini’s midfield target, with the Italian giants set to complete the deal following discussions.

“The discussion linked to the purchase of the midfielder is taking place, regardless of what the results of Sandro Tonali’s exams will be,” the Italian publication wrote.

“Raphael Onyedika is currently the primary objective to strengthen the midfield department. The player born in 2001 in Midtllyand is at the top of the list of Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara. The other options that have emerged in recent days are colder to date.”

The former FC Ebedei player, who fancies a move to the Italian Serie A, is expected to cost Milan about €10m.

Long jumper, Ese Brume, hopes a gold rush by Nigeria’s women at the just-ended 2022 Commonwealth Games will inspire girls in the country to take up sports.

The 26-year-old reclaimed her long jump title Sunday, on a day when Tobi Amusan won 100m hurdles gold and they also triumphed in the women’s 4x100m relay.

That took Nigeria’s Games tally to 12 gold medals, making them Africa’s top performers in Birmingham, England and their best outing ever at the championships.

“I know this will be an inspiration for them (young girls),” Brume told BBC Sport Africa.

“Of course, when you see someone you look up to doing well, you want to definitely be like them. So this is going to motivate and inspire them. I hope it works.”

Three-time African champion Brume set a new Games record with a leap of 7.00m to win, adding a second Commonwealth gold to the one she claimed in Glasgow eight years ago.

After two jumps of 6.99m and one of 6.96m – which would all have been enough to secure top spot on the podium – Brume said her record jump demonstrated her consistency in her discipline.

“This is one thing I really wanted – to get the Games record,” she added.

“This is special for me, because it shows consistency. It shows the hard work of all those that have supported me, and my coach who has been backing me up.

“Sometimes it’s about how you’re able to show that what you’re doing is not a fluke.”

United States tennis champion, Serena Williams, announced on Tuesday that ‘the countdown has begun’ to her retirement from the sport.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, added that a time has come in her life for her to move in a different direction. 

The 40-year-old said in a post on Instagram that she has to focus on being a mum and achieve her spiritual growth.

She wrote, “There comes a time in life when we have to decide to move in a different direction. That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun.

“I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals, and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.

In an exclusive piece in Vogue magazine, Williams noted that she had never liked the word ‘retirement’ but would rather go with the word ‘evolution’.

She said, “I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis toward other things that are important to me. 

“A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family.”