Five years ago, Ricardo Scheuerer was promoted to the men's Berlin-Liga, the highest division of the Berlin Football Association, thanks to his consistent, very good performance as a referee. If you watch the 30-year-old referee in action, you see a self-confident referee with clear body language. The fact that Ricardo is deaf and therefore cannot communicate verbally with the players on and off the pitch is not at all noticeable from the sidelines.
He successfully completed the beginners' course at the Berlin Football Association in 2011. Since then, Ricardo has been blowing the whistle with great passion and the will to constantly develop himself further. In addition to his assignments in regular BFV matches, he has already had the opportunity to referee matches in deaf soccer on the international stage: In 2017, for example, he refereed the final at the Deaflympics, the equivalent of the Olympic Games for deaf athletes. He has previously officiated at European and World Deaf Football Championships.
Medienliga Berlin-Brandenburg finances sign language interpreting
"Refereeing is something special for me on every match day. I always have to face new challenges," says Ricardo Scheuerer. "Despite my deafness, I can show that I can handle it well and can be a good role model." He is indeed a good role model and an example of how inclusion can succeed in soccer.
Ricardo is supported in BFV matches by a sign language interpreter, who accompanies him during his games and is of central importance for discussions before and after the 90 minutes and during the half-time break. However, the interpreter is not present on the pitch, so communication is non-verbal, using body language, gestures and eye contact. Since the start of 2023, the costs of interpreting during matches and training sessions have been borne by the Berlin-Brandenburg Media Leaguewhich the Berlin Football Association would like to thank for its great commitment.
In May 2025, we accompanied Ricardo Scheuerer with the camera during his assignment at the Berlin-Liga match between Polar Pinguin and BW Hohen Neuendorf. The video can be viewed on YouTube by clicking on the image:
