LALITPUR, March 27 - Bottlers Nepal, the manufacturer of Coca Cola in Nepal, renewed its relation with football after seven years when the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and Coca Cola signed a three-year agreement for the Inter-school tournament today at a signing ceremony held at the ANFA Complex, Satdobato.

Being a multinational company, Coca Cola washed its hands of Nepali football following leadership dispute in 1999. "Now we are very proud to announce that Coke and ANFA have joined hands again and it will have a huge impact in the grassroot football development program ANFA is conducting," ANFA president Ganesh Thapa said.

Coke will provide Rs 2,400,000 for next three years in Coca Cola Inter-school Football Championship bearing winning cash prize of Rs 200,000. It is the biggest cash prize in domestic school-level sports. Even the runner-up will bag Rs 100,000 while country's 'B' division champion only gets Rs 50,000. "We don't have sponsors for 'B' Division and in the upcoming days, the sum they get will definitely increase," Thapa promised.

Thapa and Bottlers Nepal's country manager Mike Smith signed the agreement paper. Smith said that Coke is especially focused on football including the World Cup, where Coke is the official soft-drink. ANFA has invited interested schools from outside the valley to participate at their own cost. Initially, the tournament will be played on knockout basis and the top 12 teams will qualify for league round.

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