LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Mexico fired national football team coach Hugo Sanchez and replaced him on an interim basis with Jesus Ramirez, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old Sanchez served just 16 months as head coach and was criticized for Mexico's poor showing in a March tournament where the national team failed to qualify for the Olympics.

Sanchez became one of the world's highest paid football coaches when he was hired in November 2006, earning a base salary of about 100,000 dollars a month. On top of his salary he made money from sponsorship deals, ticket sales, promotions and merchandizing.

Ramirez was coach of Mexico's under-17 club that won the World Cup three years ago.