BRAZILIAN football clubs are now scanning every fan entering stadiums using facial recognition technology to combat violence.
This security measure follows a 2023 tragedy where a young woman died after being struck by glass bottle shards during fan fighting.
The culprit was quickly arrested thanks to the stadium’s facial recognition system which matched entry records with street video evidence.
Brazilian law since July has required biometric controls using fingerprints or facial recognition in all stadiums with over 20,000 seats.
Palmeiras became the first club to fully implement the system after supporter Gabriela Anelli was killed at their match.
“We know exactly who is in each seat,“ said Oswaldo Basile, Palmeiras’s internal audit manager.
“We can establish accountability if there are problems.”
Palmeiras fans now use a mobile app to take selfies and provide personal information instead of traditional tickets.
Brazil leads South America in this technology with major clubs like Argentina’s River Plate also adopting similar systems.
The system recently blocked 500 Chilean fans from purchasing tickets for a Fortaleza match in the Copa Libertadores tournament.
This prevention followed a previous match suspension where a stampede caused two teenage deaths in Santiago.
Beyond filtering hooligans, the technology has helped police arrest wanted criminals attending matches.
Palmeiras’s partnership with Sao Paulo police has resulted in over 200 fugitive arrests including drug traffickers and murderers.
Fan Lucas Lagonegro expressed feeling “safer” entering the stadium with the new security measures.
“There are more children, more women, more families,“ said the 32-year-old lawyer.
The Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre had surveillance cameras since the 2014 World Cup but struggled to identify offenders before facial recognition.
“But it was difficult to identify the perpetrators of offenses” before implementation, said Andre Dalto, vice-president of Internacional club.
Colombian sociologist German Gomez noted biometric systems “can be useful as long as the other components of security -- police and the justice system -- are effective.” – AFP
