Argentina gave U.S. authorities a list of 35,000 people banned from soccer matches, including 13,000 parents behind on child support, as it seeks to keep them out of World Cup stadiums when Argentina plays in the United States.
Argentine National Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva sent the database to the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and other international law enforcement agencies ahead of Argentina’s World Cup matches on U.S. soil.
“Those who are delinquent on child support payments will no longer be allowed to enter the stadiums,” Monteoliva said. “If you don’t meet your obligations, you stay out of the stadiums.”
The names come from Argentina’s Tribuna Segura (“Safe Stands”) database, which was introduced in Buenos Aires in 2016 and expanded into a nationwide program two years later. The system checks fans’ national ID cards at stadium entrances and flags people with outstanding arrest warrants or bans from attending soccer matches.
On May 13, Argentine officials added roughly 13,000 parents behind on child support to the database. The government then shared the updated list with U.S. law enforcement on June 11.
The United States does not have a comparable nationwide system for screening fans at sporting events. Michael Alcazar, a former NYPD detective and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said a similar program could help authorities locate wanted suspects.
“I think it’s a valuable tool,” Alcazar said. “People normally have their guards down when they’re attending sporting events, and you could probably track down and take many offenders into custody that way — as long as our court system is good with it.”
Argentine officials said the Tribuna Segura program identified more than 1,100 people with outstanding arrest warrants during more than 1,300 matches between 2023 and 2025.
Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri said parents who have failed to pay child support should face consequences, according to an Instagram post by Goal.
“Those who fail to meet a responsibility as fundamental as feeding their children must face the consequences. If they do not provide for their children, they will not be allowed into the stadium,” the Mayor of Buenos Aires said.
It remains unclear whether U.S. authorities plan to use Argentina’s database to bar anyone from attending World Cup matches. Last month, the State Department announced it would begin revoking the passports of people who owe at least $100,000 in child support.
The State Department said it will work with the Department of Health and Human Services, which will identify individuals with more than $2,500 in unpaid child support. Officials have not said how many people could ultimately lose their passports.
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