Juninho argued with and insulted Franco after refusing to be substituted at half-time during the disappointing 3-0 quarter-final defeat at Uruguayan side Defensor Sporting in the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday.

Flamengo vice-president Kleber Leite confirmed that the ex-Middlesbrough playmaker`s contract will now be torn up.

After a 50-minute meeting in Rio with the Flamengo squad Leite, Franco and another official, Isaias Tinoco, announced: "He (Juninho) has committed a very serious act of indiscipline and his contract will be terminated.

"We don't want to hurt anybody. We'll work to find a solution and see what the best way to implement this decision is."