Former Barcelona star and World Cup winner Rivaldo has warned those planning on travelling to the Olympics in Rio that they would be putting their lives at risk if they make the journey. 

In a post on his Instagram page, Rivaldo highlighted the case of a 17-year-old who was reportedly killed in a shootout in the city recently, and noted that things are getting "uglier in Brazil every day".

"I advise everyone who is thinking of visiting Brazil or to come to the Olympics in Rio to stay at home. You would be putting your life at risk here," he added. 

 

Hoje pela amanhã no Rio de Janeiro os bandidos mataram esta menina de 17 anos. A coisa está cada vez mais feia no Brasil. Aconselho a todos que tem intenção de visitar o Brasil ou vir para as Olimpíadas no Rio, é para que fiquem no seu país de origem. Aqui você estará correndo risco de vida. Isto sem falar nos hospitais públicos que estão sem condições e toda esta bagunça na política brasileira. Só Deus para mudar a situação do nosso Brasil.

A photo posted by Rivaldo Ferreira (@rivaldooficial) on May 7, 2016 at 3:53pm PDT

He noted that while the violence presents a danger, there are also issues with public hospitals, while and ongoing corruption scandal also threatens the country's stability.

There have been a number of issues with the country's preparations for the games this summer, with concerns over stadiums, the outbreak of the Zika virus, polluted waterways, and low ticket sales.

Nawal El Moutawakel, the head of the IOC’s coordination commission, stated in April that while the process was on track, "a lot of hard work remains before the Games can actually be delivered."