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Just weeks after an ugly breakup, the shadow of Aldin Ayo once again takes center stage in Spain.
The embattled coach may have left the University of Santo Tomas, but recent events have indicated that the school that was rocked by the controversial bubble that Ayo set up in her hometown of Sorsogon may not be ready to let go.
That became even more palpable Thursday when news leaked that Jinino Manansala was chosen by top UST officials to be the Tigres’ next coach from a pool of high-profile applicants, both alumni and not.
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Manansala was one of Ayo’s assistants at UST. So was McJour Luib, who according to sources was named head coach of the Tiger Cubs. Luib’s ties to Ayo date back to his playing days at Letran. Both resigned after Ayo’s resignation.
Now they are both back at UST. Is Ayo far behind?
Sources that SPIN.ph I spoke to said that it is possible, but pointed out that a lot of things must fit together before that happens.
One, Ayo resigned at the end of an internal UST investigation into the controversial bubble, which brought Tigers players, some of them under 21, to Ayo’s home in Capuy, Sorsogon for a “show agricultural training “.
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Two, the outcome of that UST investigation became the basis for a decision by the UAAP Board of Directors to suspend Ayo indefinitely from the college league. The Board of Trustees is comprised of the presidents of the league’s eight member schools.
For any return of Ayo to occur, the UAAP ban must be lifted.
Curiously, The varitarist reported Wednesday that the school has endorsed Ayo’s call to the UST Board of Trustees to lift his indefinite ban. The UST school body said a “high-ranking official” made the endorsement.
Ayo launched the appeal based on a Sorsogon police report, and certified by Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero, exonerating the coach of any violation of government health protocols during the UST bubble.
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Asked if the appointments of Manansala and Luib will pave the way for Ayo’s return, the sources presented two scenarios.
One, Manansala will be named head coach in an interim capacity to prepare for the eventuality that Ayo’s ban is lifted.
Two, if the controversial coach remains suspended, Manansala and Luib will be tasked with continuing the Ayo program that made UST a laughingstock during the Boy Sablan years a finalist in just the coach’s second season in charge.
Either way, Ayo’s influence will remain strong on the Spain campus.
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