The Zimbabwe FA (ZIFA) signed a "bumper" $100M deal with Bangladeshi agency Total Sports Marketing relating to the planned Robert Mugabe Intercontinental football tournament, according to SOCCEREX. TSM has picked up the sponsorship, marketing and broadcast rights for the tournament, "which is mooted to take place between June and July this year." The initial deal is for $40M, which will "remain in place if the tournament goes ahead with eight teams" -- four from Africa and four from Asia -- and will rise to the full potential $100M if the tournament "expands to 16 teams." The deal will see the Robert Mugabe Intercontinental championship held annually for eight years, until '23 (SOCCEREX, 2/11). ALL AFRICA's Petros Kausiyo reported ZIFA President Philip Chiyangwa and his partner in the deal -- TSM CEO Moinul Chowdury -- "unpacked the details of the agreement which will also benefit senior national teams from Asia and the African continent." ZIFA will rake in nearly $3M annually from staging the competition. Chiyangwa said the tournament had "received the approval" of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (ALL AFRICA, 2/10).
