Flamengo's futsal team has some new additions for 2010, but the core of the team remains the 2008 state championship squad. Among the key players on that team was Diego Panazio, named the 2007 player of the year by the Rio de Janeiro State Futsal Federation. The winger had offers to leave the club, but he renewed his contract and is confirmed for this year's Campeonato Carioca.

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Panazio has been at Gávea since the team was formed in 2007, only leaving the club in the first half of 2009 to play in the Futsal League – the sport's main competition in the country – for Vasco. The player is eager to get the ball rolling this year and is confident of another strong campaign for Vasco.

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"I'm hoping we win the title, just as we went into all the championships we competed in," he said.

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Despite maintaining the core squad, Flamengo ended up losing key players from that group. Among them, starters Arthur and Michel Marques, as well as Silva, Jaxwel, and Bruno. However, Panazio believes the team remains strong, especially due to the reinforcements arriving: Otero, Roni, and Gustavo.

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"I think it's a considerable loss, but the athletes who are arriving are very good and I'm sure they will do the job," he said.

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This season, FFSERJ made changes to its competition regulations. Until 2009, the year was divided into two tournaments, the Metropolitano and the Carioca, but this time, the championships were unified. For Diego, this change can be analyzed from two perspectives: positive and negative.

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"I think the biggest difference will be in putting more emphasis on training. It's more likely that there will be fewer games per week, and with that, it will be easier to adjust the team. But, I preferred the old formula, with two championships per year... It was more exciting," he analyzed.

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Even with the team changed and the competition being played in new formats, Panazio believes that Flamengo continues to have a great difference: unity.

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"Our group has always been strong on and off the field. And it's by maintaining this foundation that we can now get ahead of other teams. It's also important to say that the athletes who are arriving are also excellent as players and as people," he concluded.