RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 30: Five of the 26 teams in the Brazilian championship have sacked their coaches this week with Flamengo, the country’s most popular club, becoming the latest to join the so-called “Dance of the Coaches”.

Flamengo dismissed Lula Pereira on Thursday, one day after they slumped to a third successive defeat. He was immediately replaced by returning veteran Evaristo Macedo, who became the volatile club’s sixth coach in less than a year, officials said.

Brazilian media said the heavily indebted club will have to pay wages to seven different coaches next month as a result of their hire-and-fire policy.

Flamengo still owe money to Carlos Alberto Torres, Carlinhos, Joel Santana, Mario Zagallo, Joao Carlos and Pereira and have only recently finished paying Macedo for his previous stint, which ended in 1999.

An angry Pereira said he was not to blame for poor results as the club had been forced to depend on a team of largely inexperienced youngsters.

He said he was also baffled to hear that Flamengo — who have slumped to 20th in the 26-team championship — planned to sign two more experienced players following his departure.

“The club didn’t have any money and now I’m getting the blame for everything,” he said.

“I kept asking them to sign at least two experienced players and nothing happened. Now, it seems there is money, so why didn’t they sign anyone earlier?”

The first coach to go this week was Internacional’s Guto Ferreira, dismissed after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Sao Paulo and immediately replaced by Celso Roth.

Bottom club Figueirense sacked Roberval Davino on Monday after failing to win any of their first five games, brought in Muricy Ramalho and promptly won 2-1 at Bahia on Wednesday.

But while Figueirense celebrated, Bahia replied by sacking coach Bobo, who only three months earlier had been hailed as a hero after winning the Copa Nordeste.

Candinho stepped in after the club were turned down by their first choice candidate Macedo, who joined Flamengo hours later.

Goias sacked former Brazil defender Edinho — who played in the 1986 World Cup — after a 4-2 home defeat by Vasco da Gama last weekend. He was replaced by Nelsinho Baptista, whose first game in charge ended in a 2-0 loss to Sao Paulo on Thursday.

Palmeiras coach Flavio Murtosa is favourite to be next for the chop, although he has only been in charge for three games.

Murtosa — assistant to Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari at this year’s World Cup — began with a 3-2 win over Sao Caetano, but that was quickly followed by a 4-0 loss at home to Atletico Mineiro and a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Paranaense on Wednesday.—Reuters