July 3 – Mano Menezes has been named the new coach of Brazilian club Fluminense in a one-year deal after the exit of Fernando Diniz.
Diniz, who led the Rio-based club to their first-ever Copa Libertadores crown last season, defeating Boca Juniors 2-1 in the final, but was never able to rekindle the same performance level as Fluminense slumped to the bottom of the table in the domestic league.
Menezes’s contract runs until the end of 2024 with the option of a one-year extension. Menezes will bring his assistant Sidnei Lobo as his assistant to Laranjeiras. In February, Menezes was fired by Sao Paulo giants Corinthians.
He has managed among others Grêmio, Internacional, Corinthians, Cruzeiro and Palmeiras. He had a brief spell in Rio de Janeiro with Flamengo in 2013. Menezes was also the national team manager from 2010 to 2012 before he was succeeded by Luiz Felipe Scolari ahead of the 2014 World Cup on home soil.
On Thursday, he will debut against Internacional in the Brazilian topflight. His task will be to get Fluminense out of the relegation zone. With six points from 39, Fluminense sit bottom of the table, five points behind Vasco da Gama, the first team outside the drop zone. His pragmatic style will be a rupture from Diniz’s attacking, gung-ho philosophy.
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