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France doctor criticizes Bayern over Ribery injury

By WTOP Staff

JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Sports Writer

RIBEIRAO PRETO, Brazil (AP) — France’s team doctor has criticized Bayern Munich for the way the club handled a lingering back injury that ruled star winger Franck Ribery out of the World Cup.

Ribery appeared to have made progress from a chronic lower back injury that had plagued him for weeks, only to be ruled out of the competition last Friday when he pulled up in training. It came just three days before France flew to Brazil, depriving coach Didier Deschamps of his most experienced player and most dangerous attacker.

“When I examined him and we did tests with the X-ray and scans, I was very reassured. There was no reason why he wouldn’t play in the World Cup,” France doctor Franck Le Gall said Thursday. “We have some explanations for his pain. However, he didn’t find a way … we didn’t find the way for his pains to cease or for him to play through his discomfort.”

Ribery, who has scored 16 goals in 81 appearances for France, made his last appearance of the season for Bayern as a substitute in the German Cup final win over Borussia Dortmund on May 17, when he came on in the first half and was substituted during extra time.

Ribery had been rested following the 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the return leg of their Champions League semifinal on April 29, and Le Gall thinks it was too risky for Ribery to play in the Cup final less than three weeks later.

“He was out for more or less three weeks and played a match which he probably shouldn’t have played because he played through pain,” Le Gall said. He said when Ribery joined up with the France team at its World Cup training camp he “was just as much bothered” by the injury as before.

Bayern “didn’t manage to solve the problem in (those) three weeks,” said Le Gall, who estimated that Ribery should be ready to play by mid-August.

Le Gall was asked if France had considered treating Ribery’s injury by injection. It was an option that appeared to be ruled out by the France team’s medical staff, even though, Le Gall said, Bayern could be regularly treating its players with jabs.

“Franck belongs to a club where for all pathological treatments — twisted ankles, bruising, muscle pains, contractions, tears — there are injections,” Le Gall said. “There are 10 per pathology (injury), or 20, 25, 40 per year, or more. So there comes a time when, well … he (Ribery) has had enough of injections. If for a moment we thought it could be solved that way, we didn’t do it, because he’s scared of injections.”

In other injury updates, France striker Olivier Giroud and center half Laurent Koscielny were earlier cleared to take part in Thursday’s training session after sitting out the previous day’s practice to have some physio treatment.

Giroud had some tightness in his left hamstring and Koscielny, his Arsenal club teammate, has some tendinitis in his Achilles.

“(Koscielny) has been carrying that for several weeks or perhaps a bit more. He’s played a lot of games this season,” Le Gall said. “He’s in great shape but tendons in the Achilles are a bit sensitive. During the competition we’ll probably rest him for one, two, or three training sessions so as not to make the situation worse.”

Mamadou Sakho has recovered from some bruising to his right knee.

“He felt some pain and a kind of locking sensation,” Le Gall said. “The scan was reassuring, and he trained normally (on Wednesday). He was more apprehensive than anything.”

All three players are expected to be ready when France opens its Group E campaign against Honduras on Sunday.

While Koscielny is not certain to be selected by Deschamps, Giroud is expected to lead the attack.

“He’s fine and we decided that he could take part in training,” Le Gall said of Giroud. “I don’t have any particular apprehension. If he’s training this afternoon it means that we think he’s available.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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