Explained: Why Inter and Roma dropped shirt sponsor DigitalBits after blockchain company failed to make payments

Blockchain company DigitalBits has been the subject of controversy all season, with Inter and Roma now deciding to remove the logo from their kits.

Inter & Roma remove DigitalBits sponsor

Nerazzurri set to go without sponsor
Roma request new logo

WHAT HAPPENED? After it emerged in March that Inter had not yet received any payments this season from shirt sponsor DigitalBits despite signing a deal worth €85 million (£75m/$94m) in September 2021, both they and fellow Serie A outfit Roma appear to have dropped the logo from their shirts completely amid continued payment issues.

WHY HAVE THEY DROPPED THE SPONSOR? With Inter making their issues known with the blockchain company, Roma have now also suspended their agreement after they did not make a payment that was due on March 31, according to Filippo Biafora of Il Tempo. The Giallorossi have since requested that Serie A let them wear shirts that instead display "SPQR" - an abbreviation of an ancient Roman phrase which means "the Senate and the People of Rome" - on the front until the end of the season.

Inter, meanwhile, look set to play without a sponsor for the foreseeable future before finding another solution. That solution could be continuing with a sponsor-less look for what remains of the current season.

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Next matches

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Inter confirmed in November of last year that they were already in search of a new shirt sponsor after missed payments from DigitalBits, the latest in a series of controversies surrounding blockchain and cryptocurrency sponsors in football.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR INTER AND ROMA: Undoubtedly the two Italian giants will seek a new shirt sponsor for the 2023-24 season, with DigitalBits unable to provide genuine revenue.