SAO PAULO (AP) — The government of São Paulo state has announced it will deploy hundreds of police officers and escorts on team buses at Friday’s NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers after some players raised concerns about the deployment in Brazil.

Security measures for the match at the NeoQuimica Arena in Sao Paulo are being coordinated with US authorities, the state’s Secretariat for Public Security announced on Wednesday. Gun violence and crime rates in Brazil are among the highest in Latin America. There has also been a wave of cell phone thefts in the metropolitan area of ​​Sao Paulo.

Hundreds of civilian and military police will be deployed for the game, the first NFL game in the South American country, the statement said. Military police will be deployed to escort team buses to their hotels, training grounds and the stadium.

“Our police presence will be increased throughout the week to ensure public safety at this historic match. We will deploy officers on the streets and paths around the stadium, on public transport, in hotels and in the tourist areas of the city,” the Security Secretariat said.

Earlier this week, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said on a podcast he did not want to travel to Brazil because of the country’s crime rate. AJ Brown, a wide receiver for the same team, said he would likely stay in his hotel room while 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 downtown San Francisco.

The government of the state of São Paulo announced that it would send trained dogs to the stadium before the game to detect any explosive devices that could endanger fans or players. Helicopters and drones will also be used.

The São Paulo police will set up a station in the stadium to support women who have been victims of violence.

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