Sao Paulo beefs up security for Brazil's 1st ever NFL game as players raise crime concerns

SAO PAULO — Sao Paulo state’s government said it will deploy hundreds of police officers and provide escorts for team buses for Friday’s NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers after some players expressed concern about playing in Brazil.

Security operations for the game in Sao Paulo’s NeoQuimica Arena will be coordinated with U.S. authorities, the state’s public security secretariat said in a statement Wednesday. Gun violence and crime rates in Brazil are among the highest in the Latin America. Metropolitan Sao Paulo has also faced a wave of cellphone thefts.

Hundreds of civilian and military police will be deployed for the game, the first NFL match to be played in the South American country, according to the statement. Military police will be used to escort the teams’ buses to their hotels, training grounds and to the stadium.

“Our policing will be beefed up during the week to secure the public’s safety for this historic match, with officers on the streets and avenues around the stadium, in public transportation, in the hotels and in tourist areas of the city,” the security secretariat said.

Earlier this week, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said in a podcast he did not want to go to Brazil because of the country’s crime rate. AJ Brown, a wide receiver of the same team, told said he will probably stay in his hotel room throughout his time in Sao Paulo. Other players expressed similar concerns.

On Saturday, San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in central San Francisco.

Sao Paulo state’s government said it will also send trained dogs to the stadium before the match to detect potential explosive devices that could put fans or players in danger. Helicopters and drones will also be used.

Sao Paulo police will have a station inside the stadium to support women who are victims of violence.