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Inter Milan are paying without a shirt sponsor in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg clash against AC Milan on Wednesday, May 10. The Nerazzurri currently (70') lead the game by a scoreline of 2-0, courtesy of goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
They have not displayed DigitalBits, a cryptocurrency and digital assets company who have been their sponsor this season, on their shirts. The reason for that is the club's recently published financial results. Inter announced that they are currently at a loss of €24 million.
They further claimed that DigitalBits owe them around €17 million. As a result of not receiving the payment, the Nerazzurri have decided to drop the logo from their shirt altogether.
Inter Milan's chief executive Alessandro Antonello told at the club's latest AGM meeting (via I News):
“[This] has not yet been paid by the sponsor, for which they have provided reasons that our lawyers deem unfounded. Negotiations are currently underway to find a friendly resolution to the dispute. At present, it is not possible to predict whether these negotiations will be successful or not. If it is not possible to reach an agreement, the club will consider taking legal action to protect our interests."
He further added:
“The club has already taken all the necessary actions on the market, initiating several discussions to find a possible new shirt partner through its own commercial structure so that the new partner can take over as soon as possible.”
Inter Milan can reach their first UEFA Champions League final since 2010
Inter Milan currently lead AC Milan by a scoreline of 2-0. The Nerazzurri could reach the final of the competition for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
They won the UEFA Champions League trophy on that occasion in Madrid by beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final. Diego Milito was the hero for Jose Mourinho's team, scoring a brace at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Whether the Nerazzuri can replicate that feat this season remains to be seen. Their city rivals AC Milan will need to pose some questions to prevent that from happening.
