Sao Paulo hires coach Ney Franco

Ney Franco says he resigned as coach of Brazil's youth squads to sign a deal with six-time Brazilian champion Sao Paulo.

The club had been without a coach since firing Emerson Leao after the team's elimination in the semifinals of the Brazilian Cup.

Under Franco, Brazil's youth squads won five of seven tournaments.

Sao Paulo, led by former Brazil striker Luis Fabiano, is sixth in the Brazilian league, four points behind leaders Atletico Mineiro and Vasco da Gama after seven rounds.

Leao was fired less than three weeks after Sao Paulo fell to Coritiba 2-1 on aggregate in the Brazilian Cup, the only significant competition the team is yet to win.