Michael Schumachers doctors have started the process of bringing the former Formula One champion out of the coma he has been in since a skiing accident a month ago, his manager said Thursday. The 45-year-old Schumacher suffered serious head injuries when he fell and hit the right side of his helmet on a rock in the French resort of Meribel on Dec. 29. The seven-time F1 champion has been in an induced coma in Grenoble University Hospital since then, although his condition stabilized following surgery after initially being described as critical. And now doctors are slowly trying to wake him up. "Michaels sedation is being reduced in order to allow the start of the waking up process which may take a long time," Schumachers manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement. One reason for reducing the sedation is to see if the swelling has gone down in the patients brain and to assess what level of functions has been retained. Kehm said she was only providing an update now on Schumachers condition to clarify media leaks, and that no further details would be provided. French newspaper lEquipe first reported on Wednesday that doctors had started waking Schumacher. "The family of Michael Schumacher is again requesting to respect its privacy and the medical secret, and to not disturb the doctors treating Michael in their work," Kehm said. "At the same time, the family wishes to express sincere appreciation for the worldwide sympathy. ... For the protection of the family, it was originally agreed by the interested parties to communicate this information only once this process was consolidated. Please note that no further updates will be given." Schumacher was being kept artificially sedated and his body temperature was lowered to between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius (93.2 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit), to reduce swelling in the brain, reduce its energy consumption and allow it to rest. Schumacher earned universal acclaim for his uncommon and sometimes ruthless driving talent, which led to a record 91 race wins. He retired from Formula One in 2012 after garnering an unmatched seven world titles. Schumi, as his fans affectionately call him, was famously aggressive on the track and no less intense away from driving. In retirement, he remained an avid skydiver, horseback rider, and skier. The accident happened on a family vacation in the Alps as Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son. Oscar Dansk Jersey . "It was awesome," he said. Coming off an ugly three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, Toronto found itself in a deep hole early after the Reds put an eight spot up on starter Liam Hendriks (six runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched) and Todd Redmond in the second. Keegan Kolesar Jersey . -- Lara Gut of Switzerland regained the overall World Cup lead with Sundays super-G win in Lake Louise, Alta. http://www.officialgoldenknightsfanstore...ts-jersey-c-33/. -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. Tomas Tatar Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Cody Eakin Jersey . With a victory seemingly slipping away late in the third quarter, his quick scoring flurry helped Golden State regain control early in the fourth.LONDON -- France needs an unprecedented comeback to avoid missing its first World Cup in 20 years. No European team has ever qualified for the World Cup through the playoffs after losing the first leg 2-0. Two decades after France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup following a shock home defeat against Bulgaria, Les Bleus lost to Ukraine for the first time in the first leg by a two-goal margin. That means the odds are indeed heavily stacked against Didier Deschampss team ahead of Tuesdays return game at the Stade de France. The French players display was so poor on Friday that it led the French media to question if the national sides performance had been the "worst in history." To turn around the result, France needs to rediscover its attacking potency as Deschamps - who won the 1998 World Cup and the European championships two years later as a player, must decide who to play up front against an extremely well organized Ukrainian side. "Well need to have that bit of folly that will make for an exceptional match," Deschamps said. "Its up to the players to get into that mentality. But we also have to realize they wont play with 10 players at the back. We have to put them under pressure from the start and show a lot of determination and keep the high tempo going until the end." Flourishing in the Premier League this season, Loic Remy had a poor game on the right wing in Kyiv and could be replaced with Karim Benzema, meaning that Deschamps could keep Olivier Giroud as his central sriker. Samir Nasri had a quiet game and may be replaced in the playmakers role by Mathieu Valbuena. Franck Ribery will also need to raise his game with the national team to prove that he fully deserves the FIFA Ballon dOr. Ribery who struggled to make any meaningful impact in Ukraine, has been tipped to claim the FIFA accolade after helping Bayern Munich to the Champions League. "Obviously, Ukraine knew how dangerous Ribery could be," Deschamps said. "They were very aggressive toward him. They made a lot of fouls that went unpunished. Ukraine eliminated Franck. He had very few chances to take on his opponent one-on-one. There was always a midfielder around to provide back-up." With Laurent Kosccielny suspended after his sending off, Deschamps has a major headache in defence and must decide who will play alongside Eric Abidal.dddddddddddd With Raphael Varane struggling with a sore knee, Deschamps must pick between the inexperienced Mamamdou Sakho and Bacary Sagna. Sagna plays at right back for Arsenal but has played centre half before. "We were shaken over there against a very committed team who played at a very high level while we were average," Deschamps said. "We took a slap and the situation is favourable for them. It wont be easy. Were obviously not in a good position. We have to reverse the trend and believe in this now." After winning the first round of his duel with Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he scored the winner in Portugals 1-0 win over Sweden, Cristiano Ronaldo is hopeful he can again steal the show at the Swedish national stadium on Tuesday night. While Ibrahimovic failed to impress in Lisbon, Ronaldo dived to glance in a left-wing cross for his 44th goal in 108 international appearances, and almost added another when he headed against the crossbar late on. Portugal, which beat Sweden at home for the first time in its history, missed automatic qualification for a major international tournament for the third time in a row after qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 through the playoffs. "It was an important goal and it gave us victory," Ronaldo said. "We could have scored one or two more goals but this advantage gives us confidence for the second leg. Nothing is settled yet. Its 50-50." All four return playoffs matches take place on Tuesday, with Greece in a comfortable position following its 3-1 win over Romania in the first leg and Iceland having kept alive its hopes of reaching a first ever World Cup with a 0-0 home draw against Croatia. Several friendly matches involving European powerhouses having already qualified for the finals in Brazil are also scheduled on Tuesday, with England facing bitter rival Germany in Wembley for the showcase match of the evening. The Germans will be missing Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer after coach Joachim Low decided to try "new tactical variations and personnel." 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