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BUENOS AIRES: For football lovers so passionate that joining a fan club just isn't enough, Argentine side Tigre has launched the "Passion Ticket": a microchip that die-hards can have implanted in their skin.
In football-mad Argentina, fans are known for belting out an almost amorous chant to their favorite clubs: "I carry you inside me!"
First-division side Tigre said it had decided to take that to the next level: it is offering fans implantable microchips that will open the stadium turnstiles on match days, no ticket or ID required.
"Carrying the club inside you won't just be a metaphor," the club wrote on its Twitter account.
Tigre secretary general Ezequiel Rocino kicked things off by getting one of the microchips implanted in his arm, under an already existing tattoo in the blue and red of the club.
The chips are similar to the ones dog and cat owners can have implanted in their pets in case they get lost.
Rocino showed off the technology for journalists, placing his arm near a scanner to open the turnstile to the club's stadium 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the capital, Buenos Aires.
"The scanner will read the data on the implanted chip, and if the club member is up-to-date on his payments, will immediately open the security turnstile," said the club.
Rocino said getting a chip would be completely voluntary.
"We're not doing anything invasive, just accelerating access. There's no GPS tracker, just the member's data," he said.
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