Ribery a doubt for play-offs

IRELAND’S hope of reaching next year’s World Cup finals received a significant boost last night after respected magazine France Football reported Franck Ribery is a major doubt for next month’s play-offs.

The French star, who has already been sidelined for a month, is suffering from tendonitis in his left knee, an injury which he aggravated while playing for Bayern Munich against Juventus in September in the Champions League.

The injury now requires “a new period of rest of approximately one month,’’ the magazine reported.