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Bittersweet end to Yobo’s international career

By WTOP Staff

STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — It wasn’t exactly the way Joseph Yobo wanted to mark his 100th and final appearance for Nigeria.

With one of his last touches in international football, the man who has held Nigeria’s defense together for the past 13 years scored an injury-time own goal in a 2-0 loss to France in the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday.

“I would have loved to have done it differently,” Yobo said with a wry smile.

The 33-year-old Yobo announced after the match in Brasilia that he would be retiring from international duty to concentrate on his club career and spend more time with his family.

He became the first Nigerian to reach a century of international caps and will go down as one of his country’s greatest defenders, appearing at three World Cups.

“It’s a bittersweet end (for him), yeah,” Nigeria striker Shola Ameobi said. “He’s been a great leader of this team for over 13 years. He’s been a stalwart of this Nigeria defense — our captain and our leader.

Yobo was emotional in the changing room after the final whistle as the defender made a stirring speech to the squad.

“He’ll be hard to replace,” Ameobi added.

Yobo almost didn’t even make it to Brazil as he struggled with a calf injury in the final few months of the season on loan at English club Norwich from Turkish side Fenerbahce.

He recovered just in time to be selected in the squad and capitalized on an injury to Godfrey Oboabona to play Nigeria’s final two group games — against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Argentina — and keep his place for the France game.

Aside from inadvertently turning in Mathieu Valbuena’s low cross for France’s game-sealing second goal, Yobo enjoyed an impressive final appearance for the “Super Eagles” and kept Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud relatively quiet.

He should have a good few years left in him at club level, where he has also represented Standard Liege, Everton and Marseille.

“I’m moving on with life,” Yobo said. “It’s time to spend more time with the family and focus on club football. I’d like to thank the Nigeria fans and thank all the players. It’s been a pleasure, it’s been wonderful.

“I won the African Nations Cup, came this far at a World Cup I never thought I’d make because of injury. Hopefully (the young players) will carry on from here. We have done a lot of things behind the scenes, put a lot of hard work in together, As a leader, they know what I’ve brought in so it’s just to carry on where we finished.”

It remains to be seen whether coach Stephen Keshi will also be leaving the Nigeria team after falling short of leading the country to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time.

When asked if he would be staying on in his role, Keshi said “I don’t know, I don’t know,” adding that his priority was to see his wife and children back home.

“I would love to be here at the end of the tournament (but) going back would be a good thing,” Keshi said.

It hasn’t been easy for Keshi in Brazil. He faced criticism from media back home after a 0-0 draw with Iran to open group play and then had to deal with player disgruntlement over unpaid bonuses that led to a training session being canceled on Thursday, just four days before the last-16 match.

Masterminding a win over France proved to be a step too far for Keshi, who can at least console himself with becoming the first African coach to lead a team out of the group stage at a World Cup

“I don’t know why we are going home so early,” he said. “Maybe the players weren’t old enough, maybe there wasn’t total focus. It’s something we need to review and see what comes up.”

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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