Sao Paulo strengthens security for NFL game between Eagles and Packers

Sao Paulo has tightened security measures ahead of the first NFL game in South America after players raised concerns about traveling to Latin America’s largest country, the Brazilian state said Wednesday.

Brazil will host the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo on Friday, the first NFL game on the continent and the first Week 1 game to be played on a Friday night since 1970.

The Eagles players questioned the security in the city, the largest in the southern hemisphere.

“We had a meeting with a whole bunch of no-nos. I’m just trying to go out there, win a football game and get back home,” wide receiver AJ Brown told reporters last week.

He said players had been advised not to walk the streets with mobile phones.

“Week 1, I’m excited, I can’t wait,” Darius Slay Jr. said recently on his podcast “Big Play Slay.” “But man, I don’t want to go to Brazil, you want to know why? I’m here to tell you. They already told us we can’t leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do much because the crime rate is crazy.”

“…I’m thinking, NFL, why would you send us somewhere where the crime rate is so high and we’re leaving the country? You know, the first thing people think of is that there could possibly be a terrorist attack. I told my family not to come there because I’m not going to be found anywhere. I’m going to be at the hotel relaxing, minding my business and playing my game after a long 9½-hour flight.”

On Tuesday evening, Slay apologized in a post on X “to everyone I offended.”

I would like to apologize to anyone I have offended, that was not my intention. I am
I’m excited to play in your beautiful country and I hear you all are just as passionate as our amazing Eagles fans. Only a few more days, I can’t wait!!!! #FlyingEagleFlying

— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) 4 September 2024

The São Paulo state government said it would send specialized civil and military police battalions to reinforce security during the game, and would station police on streets and in trains, as well as at subway stations, hotels and tourist attractions.

“To ensure the safety of the players, the military police will reinforce their personnel upon the arrival of the delegations at Guarulhos airport and will accompany the teams to their hotels, training grounds and the stadium,” it said in a statement. Authorities will also conduct a search of the stadium before the matches.

Brazil ranked 17th among the world’s most dangerous countries in terms of murder rate in 2023, according to Statista data, behind Latin American countries such as Ecuador and Mexico, where the NFL has played since 2005 and where safety concerns have also been raised.

In the state of São Paulo, the murder rate is reportedly four times lower than the national average and comparable to the rate in California, but is still lower than in Washington, DC, for example.

Both the Eagles and the Packers will travel to Brazil on Wednesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.