Flamengo's football director Zinho confirmed that the 63-year-old had been relieved of his duties following the team's 1-0 loss to Cruzeiro on Sunday.

"I had a meeting with him at the club this morning and thanked him for his efforts. I have a great amount of respect of him," Zinho said during a press conference in Rio.

"The situation was unsustainable. It was my decision to have a positive reaction in the Serie A championship."

Sunday's result was Flamengo's third loss in four matches and left the club at the 10th spot with 15 points from 11 games.

The team was also eliminated during the group phase of the Copa Libertadores tournament earlier this year and performed below expectations during the Rio state championship .

Santana, who coached South Africa at the 2010 World Cup, took the rein of the club in February this year, replacing Vanderlei Luxemburgo.

It was his fifth stint as coach of the Rio outfit.

Zinho said a replacement was yet to be found for Santana but Dorival Junior, sacked by Internacional last week, is widely tipped to get the job.