Biometric system keeps excluded man from attending Boca Juniors-River Plate game

Argentina’s derby of derbies ends all-square (The Star - Malaysia) 

Meanwhile, security measures appeared to have worked efficiently after a renowned figure among Boca’s ‘barra brava’ or hooligan fringe was picked up by biometric identification system and was refused entry to the venue.

Mauro Martin tried to get into the game but Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo said he had been caught in the net and was prevented from attending after his fingerprints were checked.

During the summer, Martin required hospital treatment for a gunshot wound suffered in a confrontation between rival Boca hardcore followers.

Here's the scene yesterday at the 'Bombonera' in Buenos Aires. It's obviously an incredible atmosphere.

Notice that the players seem to be deposited into the center of the field via a long protective tube.

Biometrics and Football/Soccer violence in Argentina

Argentina: Football, the ‘Evita Cup’ and New Security Measures (Elites TV)

The first announcement is related to the acts of violence which took place in the first half of 2012. Due to these acts, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) [es] and the Office of the Argentine Presidency [es] signed an agreement [es] to prevent violence. The measure involves the installation of SABED (Biometric System for Admission to Sports Events), in which fingerprints will allow the entry to stadiums according to the antecedents of each spectator.

See also:
Facial Recognition Experiment to Identify Hooligans Among Football Supporters Groups in Sao Paulo State

German soccer fans angered by face-scan plan

"We have to go beyond the current discussions" (Reuters)

"Along with the help of personalised entrance tickets and face scanners, notorious rioters can be effectively kept out of the stadiums," said Caffier in a statement.

"We have to go beyond the current discussions," he said.

A study has been commissioned to determine the practical and legal feasibility of using the technology in stadiums, after which a pilot run of the scanners will be carried out.

In a country that has had a difficult relationship with surveillance in the past, any form of monitoring the population is met with suspicion.

"This idea is a disgrace to democracy and is reminiscent of Orwell's 1984," said Philipp Markhardt, spokesman for the national Pro-Fans association.

A note:

In the hardware world as it relates to facial recognition, there really isn't any such thing as a "face scanner." Facial recognition is something that happens when certain software is applied to images collected by ordinary cameras. You might use a flat-bed scanner to get an image into a computer, but it's still just a photo scanner, not a face scanner.


h/t @m2sys