Reducing violence by fans in the stadium has become a priority for one Hungarian pro soccer team. Ferencvárosi TC recently installed biometric technology to scan the hands of fans attending their games. Created by Hungarian tech firm BioSec, the palm scanners analyzes a fan’s unique vein pattern on their hand. This scan is then linked to an ID card that all fans must scan at the gate along with their palms. All fans 16 and older are required to follow this process to purchase a ticket to the game.
Not everyone is excited about the new technology. A group of diehard Ferencvárosi fans are boycotting every home game this season, claiming that their privacy is being invaded. They’re not concerned about the issue of violence at home games.
“It’s been like this since the 70s. We were already born in this atmosphere. Our parents were beating each other up in the same manner as we do,” a rival fan of Ferencvárosi told Copa90.
The team expects that fans will get used to the new security measures.
In an interview with the Washington Post, a spokesman for the group operating the stadium said: “As this is a totally new service, people are skeptical, but we believe those skeptics will come to understand soon that this move serves only one purpose: we can identify whether the cardholder who [is] entitled to access the stadium has the card.”
Currently, Ferencvárosi is the only Hungarian team using the palm scanners. The debate over privacy is one not likely to end any time soon. In late October, fans protested the scanner’s use in front of Hungarian parliament. Several other frustrations continue to mount, including the inability for season-ticket holders to resell their tickets and making fans come into the team’s office before the season to have their hand scanned. Though this technology appears to reduce violence, outrage from fans will likely lead Ferencvárosi to remove the systems.
To get a good feel for how important football is to the Ferencvárosi fans and their rivals, watch this riveting video. Also, notice that the palm scanners are not being received well by the diehard fans: