Rio de Janeiro, Mar 17 (IANS); Flamengo sacked coach Dorival Junior after the 50-year-old refused to accept a pay cut, the Brazilian football club has announced.

The announcement Saturday comes after Dorival was told he must reduce his wages by 50 percent to continue in the role, reports Xinhua.

"After two months of talks with the aim of renegotiating the terms of the contract signed last year, Flamengo and Dorival Junior were not able to come to a satisfactory agreement for both parties," Flamengo said in a statement on its official website.

"This reaffirms the decision by the new board to seek financial balance and to honour our commitment to paying salaries, taxes and suppliers."

Dorival, who replaced Joel Santana as coach last July, led the Rio side to an unimpressive 11th league finish in 2012. Flamengo have lost their past two matches and were eliminated by Botafogo in the semifinals of the Guanabara Cup earlier this month.

Former Brazil coach Mano Menezes and recently sacked Qatar manager Paulo Autuori are the favourites to fill the vacancy.