On Wednesday, international referee Mohammed Tariq officially announced the end of his refereeing career, stating he will no longer officiate football matches starting today.

In his statement, Tariq said, "Every beginning has an end, and this is the end of my journey with the whistle."

He added, "Real-life circumstances are harder than dreams and aspirations. I’ll reveal the reasons and details of my retirement later.

His retirement comes after the Iraqi Football Association’s Referees Committee imposed a six-month suspension at the start of 2025. The disciplinary action was due to his alleged instigation of disputes and misconduct towards the committee and referee department.

Notably, Mohammed Tariq Ahmed had passed physical fitness tests and match evaluations for the Asian Refereeing Academy, qualifying him for the Asian elite referees group.