Football: Former Brazil coach Menezes to coach Flamengo

RIO DE JANEIRO (REUTERS) - Mano Menezes has been named the new coach of Flamengo, his first job since being fired by Brazil in November, the football club said in a statement.

The 51-year-old will replace Jorginho, who was sacked after only 14 matches, becoming the third coach this year at the club.

"I'm very proud," Menezes wrote on his Twitter account.

He was in charge of Brazil for just over two years, during which he painstakingly rebuilt the team and moved them away from their unpopular counter-attacking game towards a more possession-based style.

He was surprisingly fired last November just when he seemed to have found his ideal team after two years of experimenting.

Menezes admitted that the five-time world champions had been left standing by Spain and shortly before his dismissal said they would only catch up if they adopted a long-term approach.

He made his name in 2005 when he led Gremio out of the second division, clinching promotion in an extraordinary game when they had four players sent off, survived a penalty miss by opponents Nautico and then snatched a goal to win 1-0.

Two years later, he took Gremio to the final of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of Europe's Champions League. He then joined Corinthians, another hugely popular team, and led them out of the second division in 2008.

Flamengo are one of Brazil's most popular clubs but have been dogged by financial problems and unpredictable leadership.

They have won just one of their first five games in the Brazilian championship and are 14th in the 20-team table.

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