Why are Inter will be playing without a sponsor against Real Madrid? The Spanish law has forced the Nerazzurri to remove their main sponsor
Inter make their Champions League debut away at Real Madrid wearing a sponsorless shirt. More specifically, the logo of betsson.sport will not appear on the Home jersey. The betting company has been the Nerazzurri’s Official Main Partner since 2024, with its logo usually placed at the centre of the shirt.
Betsson.sport is missing from Inter’s shirt
The aesthetic change is dictated by Spanish legislation. More specifically, as reported by Calcio & Finanza, Royal Decree 958/2020 of November 3, 2020 banned sponsorships linked to betting companies from appearing on football shirts, extending the ban to any form of promotional relationship between a sports organisation and a gambling operator.
This is particularly relevant in this case, as Betsson.sport officially presents itself as a platform for sports news and content, while being part of the Betsson Group. A formal distinction that in Italy, despite Article 96 of the so-called Decreto Dignità banning any form of advertising, including indirect advertising, related to games or betting involving cash prizes, allows the brand to maintain its presence in the world of sport through editorial activities, effectively circumventing the ban on direct betting sponsorship.
UEFA’s Rules on Sponsorship Restrictions
On the matter, UEFA has established a directive stating that any sponsorship restrictions imposed by the legislation of the country where a match is played must be respected, regardless of whether the local federation had previously approved the presence of a sponsor on the shirt.
Inter will therefore take to the pitch tonight in a clean shirt, without their main sponsor. This is not, however, an entirely new scenario for the Nerazzurri. A similar situation had already occurred towards the end of the 2022/23 season, when Inter decided to remove all references to DigitalBits, the crypto company that had signed a deal with the club as its main sponsor. The decision came after the company failed to meet its payment obligations under the agreement.
Calcio & Finanza also highlighted an interesting detail related to the matter. Last season, Inter found themselves in the same situation during their match against Atlético Madrid. On that occasion, however, the Nerazzurri chose to keep the Betsson.sport logo on their shirt, as Betsson had agreed to cover the fine resulting from the breach of the sponsorship ban.