Inter Milan secured a 2-0 victory over their arch-rivals AC Milan in the first leg of their semifinal clash in the Champions League, with goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. However, the game was not without controversy as Inter took to the field without a shirt sponsor, leaving fans confused.

The reason for the missing sponsor was due to Inter’s ongoing payment issues with their shirt sponsor, DigitalBits. Despite signing a £75 million deal with the blockchain company in September 2021, Inter has not yet received any payments this season. As a result, they have dropped DigitalBits’ logo from their shirts, and this is not the first time they have played without a sponsor, having done so against Lazio last month.

AS Roma, another Serie A club, has also suspended their agreement with DigitalBits, removing their logo from their shirts. In response to the partnership suspension, DigitalBits released a statement, saying they are “undertaking a proactive process for the redefinition of partnerships” that align with their objectives of “economic sustainability and use of blockchain technology.”

“Digitalbits foundation has undertaken a proactive process for the redefinition of partnerships that will involve the Digitalbits brand in the future, in line with the objectives of economic sustainability and use of blockchain technology,” they said.

“The sponsorship contracts regarding the exposure of the Digitalbits brand with the football teams Roma and Inter were concluded with Zytara labs.

“Digitalbits foundation represents the community and ecosystem aimed at promoting blockchain technology and its use.”

It remains to be seen whether Inter will have a sponsor in their next game against AC Milan, as it seems likely that they will still be without a shirt sponsor. Despite the absence of a sponsor, Inter will take a healthy advantage into the second leg as they aim to win the competition for the first time since 2010.

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