July 18th, 2025
Clube Altético Mineiro: Bringing Facial Recognition to Football
How the Brazilian club ensured safe and digital access control through facial recognition.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil – 2024 – Chaos. Disorganization. Confused fans. That was the reality for Clube Aletico Miniero in November 2024 at the Copa do Brasil final where the team met Flamengo. The home stadium, Arena MRV’s access control system failed, and there was no way for staff to manage the inflow of supporters, leading to numerous unauthorized entries. Following the chaos, the brand-new stadium was shut down, enforcing the team to play football behind closed doors. With the loss of matchday revenue, fan support and presence, Arena MRV was left in darkness.
Innovative solutions and quick action was required. CAM, NewC, and Fortress came together to create Brazil’s first facial recognition access controlled stadium. With a simple biometric scan of the face, excited fans now effortlessly enter Arena MRV. A change that both shortens lines, increases safety, and ensures a smoother experience for fans and the club on game days. CAM further entrusted NewC with digital access solutions, featuring real-time monitoring, fan analytics, and a sophisticated system for high-pressure operations.
Read more about how the facial biometrics system works here: Biometrics in CAM.
Turning stadium digital
Taking one of Brazil’s newest, most renowned stadiums and making it digital. That was a challenge that Clube Altético Mineiro and NewC Sport faced when entering into a partnership. Tying forces together, the brand-new and high tech Arena MRV which is home to the players of CAM football club won Stadium of the Year in 2023.
CAM not only received international recognition for the scale and beauty of the new stadium, but also for the excellence in design, and the increased fan engagement the stadium brought. With a capacity of 46,000 persons, Arena MRV became a central meeting point for fans and people of Belo Horizonte. The stadium’s iconic black and white stripes not only serve as a visual landmark in the state of Minas Gerais – but as a cultural hotspot for sharing passion for beautiful Brazilian football.
“NewC Sport has been a trusted partner in our journey to create Arena MRV. Their innovative solutions have played a crucial role in transforming our vision into reality, enabling us to provide an exceptional experience for our fans.” — Leandro Evangelista, CIO, Clube Atlético Mineiro.
Arena MRV received international recognition and was inaugurated in April 2023 as South America’s most advanced stadium. With the help of NewC Sport’s technological solutions, CAM raised the industry standard for fan engagement. Facial recognition and turnstiles became cutting-edge implementations to ensure seamless flows on game days.
See how facial recognition works at Arena MRV here:
(credit: Clube Atlético Mineiro)
About CAM:
Clube Altético Mineiro is represented by the rooster – a mascot of which its supporters are very proud. With 14 official titles and an average of 31,000 passionate supporters (which they call Massa Atleticana) attending each home game, CAM has established itself as one of the largest clubs in Brazilian football. Hosting historical players such as as Ronaldinho in 2012, CAM, or informally known as ‘Galo’ placed itself in the centre of South American quality football.
About NewC:
Based in Denmark, NewC Sport extends its reach internationally, achieving remarkable results with clubs across Denmark, Sweden, the UK, and Brazil. The mission is to foster lasting connections between football clubs and their fans, employing a data-driven approach to enhance the commercial capabilities of clubs. Recognizing the unique requirements of each club, NewC Sport’s digital offerings include a customized ticketing system and efficient access control, all designed to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructures.
