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The red-black nation also shouts hex in Russian and Ukrainian

Meet Pavel Sentiakov and Dimitri Titor, who learned to love Flamengo and created a website to spread their passion in Europe.

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If there are many accents within a country, there are many languages ​​within the red-and-black nation. Among the 'Nation's' languages, there's also room for Russian and Ukrainian. Pavel Sentiakov, a 43-year-old security expert living in Kamensk, in the interior of Russia; and Dimitri Titor, 30, a prosecutor general in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, prove that distance is nothing for passion. They proudly show their love for Flamengo to the world. Together, they created the website 'Flamengo-rus' (http://www.flamengo-rus.ru/) and they don't leave any Geraldino behind when it comes to their affection for their team. "I support one of the greatest teams in the world," says Titor, while Sentiakov goes further: "I want the Carioca, the Brasileirão, and the Libertadores."

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And if you think they both started rooting for Brazil's most beloved team because of their sixth championship, you're mistaken. Ukrainian Titor's story begins in the early 90s, when he watched a special about Zico, which covered everything from his glories with the Rio de Janeiro club to his contribution to the development of football in Japan. But, despite the difficulty of obtaining information back then, it wasn't until the popularization of cable and satellite TV in the late 90s that Titor actually began watching his team's games.

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"I've been a Flamengo fan since 1993. And then, when I started watching the games and seeing the fans filling the Maracanã stadium, I truly realized I couldn't support any other club. Since then, my heart has been Flamengo, and it will always be," he proudly tells GLOBOESPORTE.COM.

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Sentiakov, like many others around the world, was a fan of Pelé's Santos. His passion began in school, when he read his first book on Brazilian football: "Pelé, Garrincha, Futebol...". But all this fascination with the São Paulo club eventually faded. The Russian had been snatched away by Zico's Flamengo, back in the same Titor era.

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"I've always had a soft spot for Flamengo. Legends like Zico, Leonardo, and Júnior played there. There was no way around it: I ended up becoming a true Rio Flamengo fan," the Russian gushes.

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Although they shared the same passion, they only met online in 2005, when Pavel Sentiakov launched the website Torcida.com.ru (http://www.torcida.com.ru/), which focuses exclusively on Brazilian soccer. All in Russian, of course. Under the nickname "Carioca," Dimitri Titor became one of the page's most frequent visitors and surprised Sentiakov with his knowledge of our championships and players. In 2009, Flamengo-rus finally went live—with all the news, history, roster, photos, and everything you could possibly imagine about Flamengo.

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"Just imagine: the year we launched the website, our team became Brazilian champions, after 17 years... That's fantastic!" - says Sentiakov proudly, believing he had a hand in the red-and-black team's title.

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But then you'd think these two aren't real fans, the kind who suffer for the team. And you'd be sorely mistaken. Both make a point of showing the whole world the joy of being a Flamengo fan: they watch every Flamengo game—whether on TV or online—wearing the sacred jersey, cheering, shouting, and suffering for the team. And, occasionally, throwing in the occasional insult, too. After the match, everyone goes online to catch up on the news, see the details—all with the help of translation programs—and then write about it on their websites.

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"Thanks to torcida.com.ru and flamengo-rus.ru, Russians and Ukrainians are learning more and more about Brazilian football every day. We're the first Russian-language website covering Brazilian state and national championships. And since TV stations started showing games from there, interest has grown every day," explains Titor, a Flamengo fan.

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Dimitri and Pavel, however, are not alone: ​​on their websites, hundreds of 'bolel'shiki'—fans, in Russian—appear to comment and, of course, cheer. All in the clearest Russian. They're still few compared to the attraction that the Old Continent's billion-dollar football has on Eastern Europe, but they're already a significant number. Sentiakov—who openly supports the Brazilian national team and is accused by friends of being unpatriotic—doesn't even watch his country's football:
- Yeah, I don't really follow it. I like watching soccer, I support beautiful soccer. That's why I follow Brazilian soccer.

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Names like Sócrates, Zico, Júnior, Andrade, Renato Augusto, Ibson, Romário and many others are frequent in the stories that Dimitri and Pavel tell in their countries.

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"Not long ago, I was delighted when a legend of Soviet sports journalism, author of several books on Brazilian football, Igor Fesunenko, wrote to me. He lived for many years in South America and knew Pelé, João Saldanha, and many others. And now he's my friend and contributor to the website torcida.com.ru. We've exchanged many interesting stories. We've learned to know and love Brazilian football. We're the best in the world," Pavel jokes, the "we" meaning Brazilian football, which naturally includes him.

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- One time, my coworkers invited me to play soccer with them. So, I put on a Flamengo jersey, and when I walked onto the field, everyone asked me, "What team is that?" So I explained, "It's Flamengo, where idols like Romário and Bebeto played. And this is the number 10 Zico wore, who was like a white Pelé." Then my coworkers joked with me: "So, Zico, show me what you're capable of." I scored a great goal and set up another. After the game, a man came up and said, "Congratulations, Zico. Great goal." This jersey plays itself!

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Oh, and they couldn't help but celebrate the sixth title in the red and black league. And send their messages to their compatriots, who, according to them, should abandon their passports and exchange them for a "red and black" one.

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"I'd like to congratulate the entire Flamengo nation on the victory, on our sixth championship. And we shouldn't stop there. We'll continue our winning streak in the Copa Libertadores. I hope, in the near future, to visit Rio, my beloved Flamengo, and cheer with you at the Maracanã," says the excited Titor, who doesn't leave out of his vocabulary words like "Rubro-Negro," "Mengo," and "Nação," written exactly like that in Portuguese.

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And his attacking partner, Sentiakov, takes it upon himself to close with a flourish:

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"I speak on behalf of all Russian fans: I congratulate the coaches, players, and board of our Flamengo team on winning this long-awaited title. May no one get hurt, and may they be able to bring new victories to this wonderful fan base. Even thousands of miles away, I will cheer for Flamengo more and more each day. And let every player know: they have fans even in Russia," he jokes.