Brazilian Football Clubs Employ Fan Scans to Tackle Violence
Another tragic event connected to hooliganism in South American soccer claimed the life of a young woman when fragments from a glass bottle tossed amid a supporter clash severed her throat.
On this occasion, authorities apprehended the offender swiftly owing to a facial recognition setup introduced in Brazilian venues in the past few years.
From July onwards, legislation mandates the application of biometric measures, including fingerprints or face scanning, to enhance safety in arenas holding more than 20,000 spectators.
The victim from 2023, Gabriela Anelli, was a dedicated follower of Palmeiras, a top Brazilian soccer side, and her club pioneered the complete deployment of this safeguard.
"We precisely identify who occupies each position," stated Oswaldo Basile, the internal audit lead for the club, to AFP.
"This enables us to assign responsibility in case of incidents."
Supporters of Palmeiras now bypass traditional tickets. Instead, they snap a selfie via their mobile and submit details through an application prior to arriving at the ground.
Brazil leads the way with this innovation across South America, though prominent sides such as Argentinas River Plate are following suit.
To identify the individual who flung the fatal bottle towards Anelli, Palmeiras reviewed footage to pinpoint the moment and matched entry scans of attendees with images from external recordings of the event.
Preventing Entry for 500 Supporters from Chile
While face scanning trials have occurred in European football grounds, privacy regulations restrict its deployment.
Certain English Premier League outfits, along with US teams in basketball, baseball, and gridiron, have adopted biometric verification, yet it sparks ongoing debate.
Brazilian teams must adhere to statutes safeguarding individual information.
Tironi Paz Ortiz, head of Imply, a firm specialising in biometric solutions serving clubs across various South American nations, informed AFP that the mandate for this tech marks "a significant advancement" in curbing aggression.
During May, the biometric setup at a venue in northern Fortaleza halted around 500 booking efforts by prohibited Chilean supporters before a Copa Libertadores fixture, the continents premier club competition.
The prior months encounter between Fortaleza and Chiles Colo Colo in Santiago halted due to a crush that resulted in the deaths of two young males.
Capturing Fugitives in the Stands
Beyond screening rowdy supporters, this technology has enabled law enforcement to detain sought criminals infiltrating the crowds.
Palmeiras collaborates with Sao Paulo authorities, yielding over 200 captures of unaware escapees, from narcotics dealers to killers, attending matches.
Lucas Lagonegro, a supporter donned in Palmeiras attire, shared with AFP that he senses greater security upon accessing the clubs arena.
"More youngsters, more females, more households attend," remarked the 32 year old attorney.
The Beira Rio arena in southern Porto Alegre featured monitoring cameras since accommodating games at the 2014 World Cup.
"Yet pinpointing those behind violations proved challenging" prior to face scanning rollout, noted Andre Dalto, deputy chair of Internacional, the team based there.
Colombian academic German Gomez, author of a volume on soccer supporter organisations and rowdyism, advised AFP that such biometric tools "prove beneficial provided other security elements, including policing and judicial processes, function well."