BERLIN -- Almost a year into his new life in Germany, Syrian refugee Ammar Sahar is well on his way to realizing his dream of becoming a Bundesliga referee.Sahar, who already referees matches in the Berlin league in the sixth tier of German soccer, has his hopes pinned on officiating at the highest level.I have a good chance, the 27-year-old told The Associated Press.Sahar has been refereeing since he was 17 years old, when he took charge of an under-14s league game in his home city of Hama, Syrias fourth largest after Damascus, Aleppo and Homs.After two years I went to the second and third divisions in Syria. From 2008 to 2010 I was in the first division in Syria, said Sahar, who also officiated youth games in neighboring Lebanon.Syrias devastating civil war forced him to flee with his wife Loubana via Lebanon in October 2015. Sahar had a brother living in Germany so it was the logical choice. The couple had to get there first, however, undertaking the perilous journey from Turkey and across the Aegean Sea toward Greece, the first frontier for most migrants seeking to reach the EU.Loubana was seven months pregnant at the time. But they paid smugglers a premium so that they could travel on a safer boat. Sahar believes there were around 30 fellow passengers when normally some 45 are crammed on board for a cheaper price. There was still drama on the crossing, however.We were halfway when the motor gave up, Sahar said. But other people on the boat helped me to get it going again.Like many other refugees, they made their way by bus to Macedonia and then Serbia, before continuing by train through Croatia, Slovenia and Austria, from where a bus took them to Passau on the German border, then another to Munich.In Munich the police gave us tickets for a (refugee) center but I said, `No, no, were not going to Munich, were going to Berlin! Sahar said.He thought the German football federations headquarters must be in Berlin, the capital.But its in Frankfurt. I thought at the time it was in Berlin so I said, `We go to Berlin, we want to go to Berlin. And the police were so nice they gave me two tickets to go to Berlin.Before that, a visa stamp on Sahars passport from Oman had raised a few eyebrows among German police before he explained he had travelled to the Arabian sultanate to referee an under-14 tournament.I showed them a photo. `Im a referee, he said.Soccer is the national sport in Germany so that may have eased his entry into the country.The Sahars were just one couple among 890,000 migrants to arrive in the country last year. The latest government figures suggest some 213,000 applied for asylum in the first nine months of this year.Sahar got in touch with the Berlin football federation and was given three games to referee as a test in the Landesliga Berlin, a level below the Berlin-Liga.After this match in the Landesliga, the Berliner Fussball Verband (Berlin football federation) called me to go to a referee camp. They told me, `Now you are a referee in the Berlin-Liga. I was very happy, Sahar said.Matches are shared between three officials, each doing two games as an assistant before one as a referee.Sahar refereed his fifth Berlin-Liga match on Sunday, a 5-0 victory for BFC Preussen at DJK SW Neukoelln. He had a busy game, handing out five yellow cards and one red that led to a penalty.He had a great game. He did a super job, said Neukoelln player Marco Fink, who acknowledged the red card had been justified.Local league photographer Christoph Lehner had seen Sahar in action several times before and said his biggest challenge was communicating with the players.Of course the language plays a huge role in communication, Lehner said.Sahar, who speaks basic English and German, admits that communication is an issue but says its getting easier all the time.Sometimes I have a problem understanding what a player is saying to me, but anything I dont understand, I save in my mind, he said. The assistants also help me a lot.Learning German is key as Sahar aims to integrate as quickly as possible in order to reach his goal.I must work very hard to be a good referee in Germany, he said. Now I work step-by-step to arrive in the Bundesliga.Sahar works as a swimming instructor in a local school in Berlin, while juggling German language lessons, referee training and parental duties with Loubana for their son Nidal, born in Berlin not long after the couples arrival in the German capital on Dec. 3, 2015.They recently moved to an eastern district of Berlin. The change just adds to the daily challenges. Besides training, parenting, working and learning German -- they still have to get a new kitchen installed -- Sahar keeps looking on the bright side.German is hard, but its a nice language, he said.That positive outlook is fueling his push for promotion to referee at the top level.I hope to go to Bundesliga 1 and 2 in the future. I work every day to get to the next level, to get to the Bundesliga. The Bundesliga is one of the best leagues in the world, Sahar said.And it doesnt need to end there for the ambitious match official whose favorite referee is Howard Webb of England.In the next five or six years, maybe Ill have a German I.D. and I could be an international referee from Germany, maybe. This is my dream, he said. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Saul-Niguez-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Koke-Jersey/ .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Filipe-Luis-Jersey/ . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Diego-Godin-Jersey/ . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. In a year that already has proved to be massive for the UFC, with one major card after another, UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York looks to be the biggest and most important of them all. In honor of such a marquee event, ESPN.com is providing dedicated previews to all 13 bouts on the card, breaking down whats at stake and projecting who will win, along with quotes and statistics for each fighter.Middleweights: Rashad Evans (19-5-1) vs. Tim Kennedy (18-5)Odds as of Nov. 3: Kennedy -240; Evans +200Dana Whites thoughtsI always thought Rashad was small for 205. And lets not forget, he fought on the heavyweight version of The Ultimate Fighter. I always thought he should be at 185 pounds, but he didnt want want to do it.Listen, Rashad is a super talented guy. My thing with Rashad -- the last few years I didnt know how much his head was in it. Kennedy is a tough dude who always comes forward and I think hell bring the best out of Rashad. Ive had those talks with Rashad: It doesnt seem like youre here, man. Ive just always thought hes super talented, explosive, great wrestler, knockout power, hes got all the tools.Whats at stake?Kennedy: After UFC 205, Bisping title shot or ... retirement?Kennedy is pretty confident he can beat Michael Bisping, the current UFC 185-pound champion. Probably because it hasnt been that long since he did it.For Kennedy, 37, UFC 205 will mark his first appearance since a frustrating, controversial loss to Yoel Romero in September 2014. At this point in his career, Kennedy is pretty committed to only accepting big fights. Hes also frequently out of the country, which can make booking a fight difficult.An offer to fight Evans in Madison Square Garden was just the kind of offer to bring him back into the cage, but Kennedy says that should say something about his future demands. Basically, it will take an even sweeter offer to bring him back beyond this.If [the UFC] isnt saying, Your next fight is against Bisping, who I smashed last time, then I dont even know, Kennedy said. I cant imagine the fight that would bring me in again. If it took Madison Square Garden, on the biggest fight card in MMA history, against a former light heavyweight champion, perennial contender, coming to a new weight class for the first time, in a state where they just legalized MMA -- If it took that much to get me back here in the first place, it will sure as hell take a big, shiny belt for me to stay.Not that Kennedy is overlooking Evans, whom he has trained alongside at Jackson-Wink MMA in the past and says naturally outweighs him by as much as 35 pounds. This will be Evanss first fight at 185, after years of competition at 205.He had about 20 to 30 pounds on me when he was here, and that was when he was in fight camp, Kennedy said. So, maybe a 35-pound difference naturally.Hes been a special athlete for a long time. Hes going to show up on weight on that scale and hes gonna do it smart. I always thought he was an undersized light heavyweight. Im confident hes doing it the correct way, dieting, exercising, doing the work.Evans: Once I made up my mind to continue, the doubt stopped right awayIf Evans fighting career wasnt quite in jjeopardy following a first-round knockout loss in April, it was at least a bit uncertain.ddddddddddddThe 12-year veteran lasted less than two minutes in that fight before succumbing to a Glover Teixeira left hook. Afterwards he called the performance embarrassing, and said he didnt want to lose heart or hope in fighting but something had to change.One big change ahead of this fight is a 20-pound change. Evans has played with the idea of moving to middleweight in the past and hell ultimately do so here, in his 26th professional fight.Im usually counting down the days of a fight camp, waiting for that week off before the fight. Evans said. This camp, Ive been telling myself to go easy during some of these days, I feel so good. I feel healthy. Ive cleaned out my diet. Im really happy with everything and Im walking around everywhere with my shirt off.Once I made up my mind this was something I was going to continue, the doubt stopped right away. Those were my raw feelings at the time, after the loss. When I stepped in the Octagon, I didnt feel the connection I normally did. A lot of it was just bringing things in to the cage from my personal life. Ive made peace with a lot of areas and its allowed me to just focus on fighting.In addition to turning heads in south Florida, Evans says his new, leaner physique will allow him to do something he hasnt been able to do for years competing at a higher weight -- impose his strong wrestling skills on opponents.A lot of these guys were cutting from 230. As Im getting older and lighter, I was going in at 210 pounds. The impact was a lot different and I finally said, You know what? These guys are just way bigger. I havent had the strength to grab someone and really impose my will on them. Thats when I decided to make the drop.Key statsEvans: 19-5-1 (14-5-1 UFC); middleweight debutEvans: 50 takedowns in UFC career, eighth-most among active UFC fightersKennedy: 18-5 (3-1 UFC); first fight since Sep 2014Kennedy: 14 of 18 wins by stoppage (7 by knockout, 7 by submission)BreakdownIts easy to talk yourself into an Evans win here. Kennedy has been away for two years, but more than that, Evans still seems like hes one right hand or left hook away from old magic.The unfortunate truth is that minus one dominant performance against Chael Sonnen three years ago, Evans hasnt looked right in a while. Whats interesting about that is that Sonnen is a middleweight, and if you listen to Evanss comments, he believes thats noteworthy. At light heavy, Evans was undersized. At middleweight, maybe he will look like that power wrestler his career was built on.If that is to be the case though, this seems like a tough matchup for his middleweight entrance. Kennedy will not be an easy target for offensive wrestling, and even though Evans hits harder, Kennedys chin is probably in better shape at this point. Evans has been a little gun-shy in recent years and the weight cut is a bit of an unknown. Early success with his wrestling would be a huge confidence boost.Prediction: Kennedy by decision.You make the call: Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Outlet Jerseys From China Jerseys NFL Cheap Disocunt Football Jerseys Wholesale NFL Gear Wholesale Jerseys 2018 NFL Jerseys Outlet Wholesale Jerseys 2019 NFL Jerseys Outlet ' ' '