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SAO PAULO, Oct 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - It was yet another tragedy linked to 
hooliganism in South American football: A young woman died after shards from 
a glass bottle thrown during a fight between fans sliced her throat.

This time, the culprit was arrested within hours thanks to a facial 
recognition system implemented in Brazilian stadiums in recent years.

Since July, the use of biometric controls, using fingerprints or facial 
recognition, have been required by law to boost security in stadiums with 
over 20,000 seats.

The young fan killed in 2023, Gabriela Anelli, was a fervent supporter of 
Palmeiras, one of Brazil's leading football clubs, and it was her team who 
were the first to fully roll out the security measure.

"We know exactly who is in each seat," Oswaldo Basile, the club's internal 
audit manager, told AFP.

"We can establish accountability if there are problems."

Palmeiras fans no longer need a ticket. They simply take a selfie on their 
phone and provide personal information on an app before going to the stadium.

Brazil has pioneered the technology in South America, but major teams like 
Argentina's River Plate are also adopting it.

To catch the fan who lobbed the deadly bottle at Anelli, Palmeiras used 
cameras to determine when it happened and to compare the faces of fans 
entering the stadium against people appearing on street videos capturing the 
incident.

- 500 Chilean fans blocked -

Facial recognition has been tested in European soccer stadiums, however data 
protection laws limit its use.

Some English Premier League clubs, and United States basketball, baseball and 
American football teams have implemented biometric identification, but its 
use remains controversial.

Brazilian clubs are required by law to protect personal data.

Tironi Paz Ortiz, CEO of Imply, a biometric systems company that works with 
teams in several South American countries, told AFP the law requiring the use 
of the technology represents "a major step forward" in the prevention of 
violence.

In May, the biometrics system at a stadium in northern Fortaleza blocked some 
500 ticket purchase attempts by banned Chilean fans ahead of a match in the 
Copa Libertadores -- South America's top club football tournament.

The match between Fortaleza and the Chilean team Colo Colo in Santiago the 
previous month was suspended after a stampede left two teenage boys dead.

- Netting wanted criminals -

The technology has done more than filter football hooligans, it has allowed 
police to nab wanted criminals who enter stadiums.

Palmeiras have a deal with Sao Paulo police that has led to the arrest of 
more than 200 unsuspecting fugitives, including drug traffickers and 
murderers, who came to enjoy a game.

Lucas Lagonegro, a fan wearing a Palmeiras jersey, told AFP he feels "safer" 
entering the club's stadium.

"There are more children, more women, more families," said the 32-year-old 
lawyer.

The Beira-Rio stadium in southern Porto Alegre has had video surveillance 
cameras since hosting matches during the 2014 World Cup.

"But it was difficult to identify the perpetrators of offenses" before the 
implementation of facial recognition, said Andre Dalto, vice-president of the 
Internacional club which plays there.

Colombian sociologist German Gomez, who wrote a book about football fan 
groups and hooliganism, told AFP that biometric systems "can be useful as 
long as the other components of security -- police and the justice system -- 
are effective."