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After Brazil, Blatter focuses on FIFA election

By WTOP Staff

GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — When Brazil’s football fans finally got their best chance to see Sepp Blatter at the World Cup, they had a message for him.

It was not a nice one for the FIFA President at his fifth final as head of football’s governing body.

Jeers and whistles rained down on Blatter and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff before and during the trophy presentation at the Maracana Stadium.

Happily for Blatter, however, he could enjoy a sixth World Cup final as president in 2018 in Russia if he wins re-election next May.

Blatter mostly stayed out of view here during the 32-day tournament, making few public appearances and being kept off stadium giant screens at the 18 matches he attended.

“I have not been hiding,” Blatter told reporters at a reception Friday in Rio de Janeiro, hosted by Russian World Cup organizers. “I have just not been speaking too much.”

There was nowhere to hide Sunday with World Cup protocol requiring Blatter and Rousseff jointly give the gold trophy to German captain Philipp Lahm after a 1-0 win over Argentina.

In fairness to Blatter, most derision seemed aimed at Rousseff, who also faces an election within months.

He is also more popular among football leaders than football fans, and many voters share his desire to extend a presidency that began in June 1998.

“I’ll be honest with you it still burns, it still burns stronger than ever to go forwards,” Blatter told delegates from the CONCACAF region on June 10, two days before the tournament kickoff.

The success of a World Cup in Brazil that beat all expectations — better organized, better football on the pitch, fewer protests on the streets — was unlikely to weigh heavily on Blatter’s election chances.

Since Brazil was awarded hosting rights in 2007, as the only candidate, Blatter delegated responsibility and tough questions during troubled preparations to his secretary general, Jerome Valcke.

Still, Blatter can share in the satisfaction of a job well done. That will be expressed Monday at Maracana during his first news conference since the World Cup began.

Blatter’s tournament has been a private pleasure in a football-loving country. FIFA is unpopular in Brazil and typically seen as arriving with aggressive demands, then leaving without paying tax.

He has had limited direct contact with Brazilian people. Appearances at a sports seminar and opening a FIFA community project in Rio de Janeiro were vetted for attendance.

FIFA denied instructing its television production team to keep Blatter out of shot, though it did help avoid the jeers he and Rousseff faced during the Confederations Cup opening ceremony in Brasilia last year.

When Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel watched her national team beat Portugal 4-0 in Salvador on June 16, she was framed in TV pictures with two men sitting to her left, rather than Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini at her right.

On Tuesday, Blatter will fly home to Switzerland and resume election strategizing, nurturing his supporters among 209 FIFA voting federations and needling perceived rivals.

His column for FIFA’s online magazine The Weekly on July 4 was typical.

After the Asian Football Confederation’s poor World Cup — zero victories in 12 matches for its four teams — Blatter suggested its 46 FIFA member nations were “treated with such disdain” and should seek more places at future tournaments.

“We need a new deal, preferably sooner rather than later,” Blatter wrote, in a clear jibe at UEFA (53 FIFA members, 13 World Cup places) and Platini.

Baiting his former protege is a regular tactic. In a FIFA video interview released after the group stage, Blatter “revealed” that Platini will have goal-line cameras at the 2016 European Championship. UEFA has made no such decision.

The strategy appears to be: Dissuade Platini from seeking the top job, and persuade voters not to support the former France great.

After a quiet few weeks for Blatter — attending the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada and the Youth Summer Olympics in Nanjing, China — August 29 is a key date.

Then, at the Champions League draw event in Monaco, Platini should announce if he will be a FIFA presidential candidate.

Even if Platini decides against challenging his mentor, UEFA will likely support another candidate by the January deadline to declare.

That seemed assured after a volatile UEFA meeting in Sao Paulo last month when European officials urged Blatter to step aside in 2015.

Netherlands federation president Michael van Praag told Blatter that FIFA was a byword for corruption and “people tend not to take you seriously anymore.”

“That was the most disrespectful thing I have experienced in my entire life,” Blatter told reporters after the FIFA Congress on June 11 when he last addressed media.

Hours earlier, Blatter had delighted most FIFA members by promising $200 million in bonus payments from the near-$4.5 billion World Cup revenues.

“It’s impossible to make everybody happy,” Blatter said in a congress speech to his voters.

A majority still seem happy with their leader.

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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