ItÆs easy to get opinions about referees. Now Socceramerica.com is giving you a chance to hear from the refs with the launch of ôView from the Middle.ö For the seriesÆ inaugural edition, we sought out MLS and FIFA referee Ali Saheli of Columbia, Mo. INTERVIEW BY BRYAN ALVAREZ SOCCER AMERICA: Is there such thing as a “make-up” call? ALI SAHELI: No. A rule for success is to be consistent. Some might take being consistent for a “make-up call.” But no referee entertains the “make-up call” concept. Communicating via the foul selection and setting guidelines for the match at hand, and carrying on the same way until the last whistle, is what every coach and player wishes for. No one likes surprises. SA: What’s the toughest call in soccer? AS: There is no one call or situation in a soccer match that is exceptionally tough to make. But officiating as a whole is not easy. There are 22 players on the field and two coaching staffs watching every detail of a match. The referee is running around with the players trying to be everywhere necessary to view from the correct angle, judge the situation and produce the right verdict. It has the making of a job that has no room for error. And rightly so. Just think about it! Players and coaches work so hard, year around and put so much time, energy and skill — not to mention expenses endured by the owners — to produce the product we see on the field. And now, at game time, when everything they worked so hard for, is being put to a test. Everyone expects nothing less than perfection from the officiating crew. SA: What is the biggest misconception coaches and players have about referees? AS: I don’t think there is as much misconception as unawareness. Despite rumors, referees are human beings! And making mistakes is part of being one. I believe it would be great if everyone spent some time and officiated a few games, even at lower youth levels, and experiences the thought process it demands. SA: What could be done to make the officials’ job easier? AS: Mutual respect and good communication are two areas we can target to start with. We all have to understand and subscribe to the fact that “the Game” is what we are trying to promote. Without soccer, life would be very boring. Mutual respect will allow us better communication on and off the field and provide the circumstances to enhance the final product. Player, coaches, fans and referees are all part of the one big equation and only by working together can we succeed. SA: What rule change would you like to see? AS: None that I can think of right now. Just enforcing the ones we have better. SA: What’s the worst thing about being a referee? AS: Personally, traveling every weekend and being away from home. I love to travel but, the time spent going back and forth to the airports, flying to a different location, doing the game and flying back, weekend after weekend gets very tiresome. I wished there was a quicker and better way to travel. Jet lag is a mean beast to deal with. SA: What makes refereeing worthwhile for you? AS: Love of the game. As I mentioned earlier, life without soccer would be boring. You know that because itÆs not the money. If you took the number of hours we spend studying the teams and their matches from the week before, talking to colleagues about their match, traveling to the site, doing the game and the self-evaluations (watching our game’s videotape and writing about all aspects), and divide it by the amount paid, it will be close to minimum wage. Only true love can carry you through all of that. SA: What’s been your most frightening moment? AS: I live in Columbia, Mo., and depending on the cheapest air fare, I will fly out of Columbia, St. Louis or Kansas City. On one of my trips, I had driven about 10 miles toward Kansas City when I felt something was wrong. My flight was out of St. Louis! SA: Your most embarrassing moment? AS: Reviewing my game tape and seeing a mistake that I should have known better. And trying to find why it happened. SA: How important is playing experience to being a good ref? AS: Refereeing a soccer match is about understanding and being aware of all emotions around you. The most successful are the ones that, see it, feel it and can deal with it accordingly. To have that level of understanding as a referee, it is my belief, its essential to have experienced playing as well as coaching. ItÆs like child birth! I can listen to a mother talk about or watch it happen but, I am far from understanding it.