Sao Paulo sack coach Rogerio Ceni

Rio de Janeiro, July 4: Former Brazilian goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni has been sacked as coach of Sao Paulo, seven months after taking charge of the Brazilian top flight club.

The announcement followed Sao Paulo's 0-2 loss to Flamengo on Sunday, a result that left the club 17th in Brazil's 20-team Serie A standings, reports Xinhua news agency.

"During his time as coach, Rogerio showed the dedication and commitment that characterised his career as a player," Sao Paulo said in a statement on Monday.

"He will always be one of the biggest Idols in Sao Paulo's history and we wish him well," he added.

Ceni led Sao Paulo to 14 victories, 10 draws and 11 defeats from his 35 matches in charge.

Capped 16 times for Brazil, Ceni retired at the end of 2015 after 1,250 matches for Sao Paulo in a career spanning 24 seasons.

A specialist free-kick and penalty-taker, he is regarded by the Guinness World Records as the highest-scoring keeper of all time with 131 goals.

Monday's announcement came two days after former Liverpool under-23 coach Michael Beale quit his position as Ceni's assistant manager, citing personal reasons.