Brazilian coach awaiting visa, vaccine before flying in to join PH volleyball team

Jorge Edson Souza de Brito is flying soon to the Philippines to aid the national women's volleyball team in its preparation for future major tournaments.

According to Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon "Tats" Suzara, the Brazilian mentor is now just waiting to secure his visa before leaving his home country for the Philippines.

This will pave the way for Souza de Brito in helping concurrent head coach Odjie Mamon plot the women's team program at least for the next two years.

Suzara added that Souza de Brito is also expecting to have his vaccine jab before June ends, just in time for when he hits the ground running for the nationals.

"Jorge is just waiting for his Philippine visa to be issued in Brazil and will have his first vaccine jab before the end of June," Suzara told GMA News Online in a message.

"Hopefully he can arrive by the first week of July."

Souza de Brito is expected to stick around in the Filipinas' campaign in the 2021 Asian Women's Championship in August and the 2021 Southeast Asian Games in November.

In a previous interview with GMA News Online, PNVF national teams commission chairman Tony Boy Liao clarified that the foreign mentor has yet to be officially named as the head coach.

The PNVF, though, did offer him the job but the officials bared it will still come down to Souza de Brito's decision whether he'll take the reins or not.

Upon arrival in either late June or early July, Souza de Brito, who won a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona as a Brazilian national team member, will meet with Mamon where they'll decide who will be at the helm.

—JMB/GMA News