Chelsea will host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 24 October. Chelsea Supporters' Trust said live facial recognition technology will be used by the Metropolitan Police during the policing operation for the match, which the Met described as a high-risk fixture.
Chelsea Supporters' Trust statement
Chelsea Supporters' Trust said it had received a communication from the police outlining plans for the game. The supporters' group is affiliated with the Football Supporters' Association and engages with Chelsea and other stakeholders on issues affecting fans.
Deployment details in the police statement
The statement from the police via CST read: "I am writing to inform you that on Saturday 24 October 2026, Live Facial Recognition (LFR) will be deployed during the policing operation for the Chelsea FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC football fixture, which has been assessed as a high-risk match."
It continued: "The deployment follows the established stakeholder engagement approach previously used for football-related LFR deployments."
It said: "The two deployment locations will be: Earl's Court West Brompton Two LFR vans will be deployed across these locations during the pre-match phase of the operation."
The statement added: "Signage will be deployed outside the zone of recognition in line with MPS LFR policy. We can provide a debrief of the deployment within 72 hours should you require. The deployment will operate during the designated pre-match period."
Watchlist and support
It went on: "The watchlist will contain individuals subject to Football Banning Orders relating to either club, together with persons wanted or missing for serious offences and those sought on warrants issued by HMCTS. This reflects the watchlist criteria outlined in the previous stakeholder communication."
It also said: "The Premier League and relevant football stakeholders are aware of and supportive of the deployment."
Requests for comment
Reuters contacted Chelsea and the Metropolitan Police for comment.