One of the most prominent and experienced Gibraltarian match officials of the modern era, Patrick Canepa, took charge of his last ever match last month, before the Gibraltar Football League winter break, the matchday 12 encounter between Manchester 62 FC and FCB Magpies. 

After over a decade of officiating top-flight football in Gibraltar, Patrick Canepa ends his career on the field to take up a full-time position with the Gibraltar Football Association as its new Referee Manager. He takes over the role from Adrian Bacarisa who is retiring after over 10 years at the helm of refereeing on the Rock since Gibraltar’s entry into UEFA in 2013. 

Throughout his time at the Gibraltar FA, Adrian Bacarisa played a crucial role in mentoring guiding and developing match officials in Gibraltar. The seamless transition upon his retirement is testament to the succession planning put in place by Adrian and the Gibraltar Referees Association which has seen Patrick shadow Adrian for over six months. Patrick has also played a pivotal role in recent years as the Association’s Referee Recruitment officer since 2022, coaching and developing young referees, as well as running educational programmes for youngsters about the vital roles that referees, and match officials play within football. 

Upon beginning his new role Patrick Canepa stated: 

“I am extremely honoured to be taking up my new role as the Gibraltar FA’s Referee Manager and I am looking forward to continuing the outstanding work and service Adrian Bacarisa has given Refereeing in Gibraltar. I hope that I can use my experience as a referee to develop, enhance, grow and nurture the next generation of Gibraltarian Match officials.” 

Gibraltar FA General Secretary Ivan Robba commented: 

“We are proud to welcome Patrick into the Gibraltar FA as our new Referee Manager. Patrick comes into to his role after a stellar career officiating in Gibraltar and abroad. 

Patrick has big shoes to fill as Adrian Bacarisa has been a stalwart of Gibraltarian refereeing for over a decade in his role with the Association and for many years before that as a Referee himself. From all of us at the Gibraltar FA we would like to thank Adrian for his dedicated service to Gibraltarian Refereeing.”