After the recent 2026 World Cup, Isaak Bashevkin, who was AR2 in Eskas team, decided to retire and provided unknown details about his career via Instagram.
"From childhood hip surgeries and playing football with crutches in Ready, to the Champions League and the World Cup. Now the time has come to hang up the flag and put the football boots on the sidelines for the last time. After 22 years as a football referee – gradually moving up the divisions – and all the way to the world top in the last four years in a team with Espen and Jan Erik – I have decided to end my career. Right after an unforgettable World Cup, the greatest experience you can have as a football referee, it feels absolutely right to give up now. The 4 Calvé-Legg-Perthes hip surgeries I had as a child, and the oval hip sockets and the altered anatomy of the femurs, should not really be compatible with running-based sports. That I have managed to get this far and so high is a medical and physiological feat. That's what I'm most proud of - that I've proven that it's possible to referee football at the absolute highest international level with oval Perthes hips. There are no acute injuries here and now, but some gradually increasing minor aches and pains here and there that will continue to increase and could develop into chronic ailments if I keep pushing myself. I could probably be at Euro 2028 and World Cup 2030, but for the sake of both my body and the team's ability to continue delivering world-class performances, it's the right thing to do now. After several years of 130+ travel days a year, and now most recently 7 weeks away during the World Cup, it will be very nice to be able to be more present at home with my family and my 2.5-year-old daughter, after they have also been through tough times when dad has been traveling around the world a lot.
Thank you to the Norwegian Football Federation, UEFA and FIFA for the trust. Thank you to all referee colleagues for the solidarity. And the biggest thanks go to Espen and Jan Erik – for the solid refereeing we have delivered together over time – with finals in the U21 European Championship and the U17 World Cup, quarter-finals in the Champions League, bronze medal final in the Paris Olympics, and now the finals in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Thank you for the trips and experiences, thank you for the love, and thank you for letting me be part of this part of the journey. I have great faith in the team going forward, and I will be cheering you on in every single match! It has been an honor!"