Club president Peter Siemsen said a coaching change was needed to give the team a renewed boost in the final matches.
"Dorival coached Atletico Mineiro in the same situation in 2010 and was able to keep the team from being relegated at the time," Siemsen said. "He has the experience."
A former defensive midfielder, Dorival coached Neymar's Santos to the 2010 Brazilian Cup title. Last year, he led Internacional to the Rio Grande do Sul state title, and in 2009 he brought Vasco da Gama back to the first division after relegation.
His debut with Fluminense will be against last-place and already relegated Nautico on Thursday at the Maracana Stadium.
Fluminense, which also won the league title in 2010, is trying to avoid being the first defending champion to be relegated. The club is 18th in the 20-team Brazilian league standings with 36 points from 33 matches. The bottom four clubs will drop down to the second division.
Fluminense almost was relegated in 2009, but it won six of its last seven matches to just remain in the first division. It was relegated to the second division for the first time in the late 1990s.
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