With his contract status still up in the air, Alas Pilipinas Women’s head coach Jorge Souza de Brito remains focused on the task at hand– to help the national team secure its best possible finish in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup.
Following the Philippines’ elimination at the hands of Kazakhstan in the knockout semifinal on Tuesday, De Brito – whose contract is set to expire in two days – expressed his desire to return for another tour of duty with Alas Pilipinas.
However, De Brito said that his main focus for now is steering the country to a win in the bronze medal match, where they will face a towering Australia side.
“We have to discuss…it is still unofficial. We are close to keeping on talking because the contract will finish on the 30th,” said the Brazilian coach.
“What I have to do is work hard at the end of the contract. Of course, my desire, my wish is to stay with these guys. All the players in the Philippines, there’s a lot of potential,” he added.
PNVF president Tats Suzara has already advocated for De Brito’s return, saying that the federation plans to talk to the 1992 Olympic gold medalist and convince him to stay.
“We’ll be appealing for him to remain the head coach of our women’s national team program,” said Suzara last Monday.
In what could be his final dance with the Philippine national team, De Brito defied expectations and powered the Nationals to a surprising 4-0 campaign in the group stage.
That served as their ticket to the country’s first semifinal appearance in any AVC or Asian-level competition.
Alas Pilipinas, however, failed to advance after a straight-set 23-25, 21-25, 14-25 loss at the hands of the Kazakhs.
“We were prepared to play against them. They have a tough block, they pressured us in the first two sets. But they came out fast in the beginning,” said De Brito.
“What I liked about our team is that they never give up at any moment. Also, we played most of the time at the same level as them. These guys are on their way to being much better than this. It’s a promise that they made to themselves.”
