Meet the expert: Imre Baranyai, Director of Security at Ferencvárosi TC

ESSMA interviewed, Imre Barranyai - Director of Security at Ferencvárosi TC - regarding their stewarding approach, their access control system and other security systems supporting them on matchday.

How are fans screened when entering the stadium?

Before entering the stadium all tickets are verified at the access gate. Next, we verify all the bags and people passing through. Luckily there is a document, which was created five years ago, containing the rules of the arena. It helps us and the fans a lot, because they can check which objects can be taken into the Groupama Aréna.

What are the main benefits of your biometric access control system? 

Without this system, we would have to check every fan ID or card and compare it to their faces. Basically, the identification system executes the task in less than a second and verifies if fans are allowed inside the stadium. The margin of error is fewer than one percent, but if we see any kind of problem during ingress, we can do the verification manually.

“The concept of volunteers is new in Hungary. Currently, there are 10% steward volunteers and the remaining 90% are professionals. We receive a lot of support from UEFA and the Hungarian Football Federation to increase the number of volunteers.”

Do you have a dedicated programme to attract new stewards?

Our partner companies perform the recruitment processes. Furthermore, the Hungarian Football Federation implemented a stewarding training a year ago. With the programme, we go through a standardised and complex two-day process with other new colleagues. 

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