Corinthians, one of Brazil's most popular clubs and champions two years ago, were relegated after drawing 1-1 at Gremio in their final game on Sunday.

Winners of FIFA's Club World championship in 2000, they began the day one point off the danger zone but were overtaken by Goias, who beat Internacional 2-1 with a three-times taken penalty.

Corinthians finished 17th in the 20-team first division with 44 points from 38 games.

Relegation came almost exactly three years after Corinthians signed a controversial partnership deal with London-based Media Sports Investments (MSI).

Although MSI initially spent lavishly on new signings, the relationship soured last year and the investments dried up.

This year's squad was based largely on players brought in from second and third division clubs.