RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 4 -- Rafael Dudamel was confirmed as the new head coach of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro on Saturday, 48 hours after resigning as Venezuela's national team manager.

The 46-year-old replaces Vagner Mancini, whose contract expired in December after Atletico finished 13th in the 2019 Brazilian Serie A championship. His contract runs until December 2021.

"Dudamel's excellent work done in Venezuela caught the eye of Atletico, who were looking for a coach with a successful history of working with youngsters," Atletico said in a statement.

Dudamel, a former Venezuela national team goalkeeper, ended his four-year spell as the South American team's manager on Thursday morning, citing deteriorating working conditions.

The announcement left Venezuela with less than three months to appoint a new head coach before the start of the South American zone qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup.

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