In 2022, Osasuna became the first club in Spain to introduce facial recognition at the entrances to El Sadar. As a result, it has now become the second in the country with a fine for violating fans' rights by introducing an innovative technology. However, the club doesn’t agree and has already announced an appeal.

Short-term success of the latest technology

Voluntary for socios, secure and fast. That's what the facial recognition system that appeared in the spring of 2022 at Estadio El Sadar was supposed to be. In the 2023/24 season, one in four Osasuna pass holders, or about 2,000 socios, took advantage of the face entrance. Despite the undoubted popularity of the forward-looking technology, the club suspended its operation from the summer of 2024.

The official reason was the need to adapt to a new configuration and adjust to new data protection standards. The technology, known as Face ID, was unveiled by Apple in 2017 and is one of the latest in biometrics, a field that uses human body parameters to confirm users’ identity. However, it raises questions about the security of collecting such sensitive data.

As it turned out, after just a few months of Face ID operation at Osasuna's stadium, the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) began investigating the legality of the technology's use, and in December 2024 issued a verdict: a €200,000 penalty for violating fans' privacy rights, a ban on using the system, and an order to delete the collected data.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak | The facial recognition technology installed at the entrances to El Sadar in 2022 lasted less than two seasons

Osasuna does not intend to pay

Osasuna is not the first case of its kind, however. In April 2024, second-league Burgos CF was fined the same amount for a similar system using the fingerprints of socios. After admitting its guilt, the club managed to reduce the fine to €120,000. However, the club from Pamplona does not intend to pay a single penny.

The club does not share at all the arguments presented by the AEPD, reads the statement released by Osasuna on Wednesday, which stresses the voluntary nature of the system. According to the club, AEPD is using arguments relating to older software, while the current one, designed by local company Veridas, is internationally recognized and fully safe.

To support its claim, the club cites a report by the National Cryptologic Center, which recommends the use of such systems, as the risk to fundamental human rights is low or none. The club therefore announces it will appeal the decision before the National High Court.