AS Roma Players Navigate Crypto Sponsorships as Serie A Embraces Blockchain | OneFootball

The crypto wave hit Serie A harder than most leagues. AS Roma players are at the center of it.

Walk through Trigoria these days and you’ll hear more talk about NFTs, Bitcoin, and blockchain partnerships than you did three years ago. Not from every player, but enough that it’s become part of the culture. Even youth academy prospects are fielding offers from digital asset companies.

This isn’t unique to Roma. Inter Milan partnered with Binance. AC Milan launched NFT collections. Juventus created $JUV fan tokens. But Roma’s position is interesting because the club sits between embracing innovation and maintaining traditional football values.

Football Players Started Taking Crypto Deals for Money and Reach

The shift happened fast. Five years ago, crypto sponsorships in football were rare and viewed skeptically. Today, they’re common enough that agents factor them into contract negotiations.

Players accept these deals for money, global reach, and portfolio diversification. A crypto platform sponsorship can pay €200,000-€500,000 annually for a mid-tier Serie A player. Top names command seven figures. The deals come with fewer restrictions than traditional endorsements, and many crypto companies specifically target football because the sport’s global audience matches their expansion goals.

Roma’s partnership with DigitalBits in 2021 was Serie A’s first major crypto club deal. The three-year agreement worth €36 million put DigitalBits on Roma’s training kit and gave them digital asset rights. When that partnership ended in 2023 after DigitalBits failed to meet payment obligations, Roma sued and eventually secured a settlement. The incident became a cautionary tale about vetting crypto partners properly.

Serie A Players Structure Endorsements Multiple Ways

Most player deals fall into three categories: personal sponsorships, ambassador roles, and equity arrangements.

Personal sponsorships are straightforward. A player promotes a crypto exchange or NFT platform on social media, appears in marketing campaigns, and gets paid in either fiat currency or a mix of fiat and tokens. These deals typically run 12-24 months with performance bonuses tied to engagement metrics.

Ambassador roles go deeper. The player becomes the face of a specific campaign, attends company events, and sometimes has input on product development. These arrangements require more time commitment but pay more than simple social media promotions.

Equity arrangements remain rare but are growing. Some players take partial payment in company tokens or equity, betting on long-term appreciation. This strategy carries more risk but can pay off significantly if the platform succeeds.

Roma players who take these deals usually work through specialized agents familiar with blockchain technology and cryptocurrency regulation. The legal complexity matters because different countries tax crypto income differently, and players need structures that comply with Italian law while maximizing take-home pay.

Esports Platforms Accept Crypto Too

Crypto companies targeting football players often have esports operations too. This crossover makes sense because both demographics overlap: young, tech-savvy, global audiences with disposable income.

Platforms covering both spaces offer comprehensive coverage of crypto gambling and competitive gaming. For instance, Esports betting platforms accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies for wagering on everything from Counter-Strike tournaments to FIFA competitions.

This convergence matters to Roma players because the club has been building its esports presence. Roma launched an eSports team in 2017 and reached the semi-finals of the prestigious FIFA eClub World Cup in 2019. The team initially partnered with Fnatic, one of the leading organisations in esports, and became back-to-back Gfinity Elite Series champions in 2018 and 2019.

The connection runs deeper than promotional appearances. Crypto payment infrastructure developed for esports betting works identically for football betting. Blockchain technology that verifies ownership of digital football cards transfers directly to esports skins and in-game items. Roma players who understand this ecosystem can make more informed decisions about which crypto partnerships to accept.

Roma Learned Expensive Lessons from DigitalBits Partnership

Roma’s experience with DigitalBits taught the club important lessons about vetting crypto partners. When DigitalBits failed to make €36 million in contracted payments, Roma stripped the logo from their shirts in May 2023 and eventually secured a settlement through legal action.

During one match against AC Milan, Roma requested permission from Serie A to feature “SPQR” on the front of players’ kits instead of the DigitalBits logo. The move was popular with fans, as SPQR is an abbreviation of an ancient Roman phrase meaning “the Senate and the People of Rome.”

Since then, Roma has taken crypto deals on a case-by-case basis rather than signing another major shirt sponsor from the space. They worked with Zytara Labs on blockchain-based digital assets. They explored NFT collections for specific matches and moments. But they haven’t replaced DigitalBits with another crypto primary sponsor.

This cautious approach mirrors the broader Serie A trend. After early enthusiasm in 2021-2022, Italian clubs now require more due diligence, escrow arrangements, and guaranteed payments before signing crypto deals. The league itself hasn’t banned cryptocurrency partnerships, but the failures of several crypto companies during the 2022 bear market made clubs more selective.

Inter Milan’s situation was even worse than Roma’s. They signed an €85 million deal with DigitalBits in September 2021, but by March 2023, DigitalBits had not paid any of the scheduled instalments. Inter also stripped the logo from their shirts and played sponsor-less for several matches.

Lazio, Napoli, and Fiorentina all have crypto deals currently. Milan’s partnership with BitMEX for training kit sponsorship represents one of the more stable arrangements. Inter’s deal with crypto exchange Zoomex is active. The difference between these and the DigitalBits situation is structure: newer deals have milestone payments, shorter terms, and more exit clauses.

Crypto Income Creates Tax Complexity for Players

Players receiving cryptocurrency as part of endorsement deals face unique tax and accounting challenges. Italian tax law treats crypto as foreign currency for some purposes and property for others, depending on usage.

Most Roma players who take crypto payment immediately convert it to euros through an exchange. This creates a taxable event at the conversion rate. Some hold portions as investment, which defers tax until they sell but exposes them to price volatility.

The player’s tax advisor typically recommends one of three structures: immediate conversion (crypto is received and instantly sold for euros, eliminating volatility risk but triggering immediate tax), staggered conversion (the player converts 25-50% immediately and holds the rest for 12-24 months, betting on appreciation), or trust/holding company (crypto is paid to a corporate entity the player controls, allowing more flexibility in timing conversions and managing tax liability).

Roma’s finance team doesn’t get involved in players’ personal crypto dealings, but they do require disclosure of all endorsement income for Financial Fair Play compliance. If a player receives €300,000 in Bitcoin as part of a sponsorship deal, that counts toward income regardless of whether it’s converted to fiat currency.

Youth Academy Players Get Crypto Offers Too

The Primavera squad and loan players have become targets for smaller crypto projects looking for cheaper ambassadors. These deals typically pay €5,000-€25,000 and ask players to promote an NFT drop or new token launch.

Roma’s academy staff advises players to decline most of these offers. The risk isn’t worth the modest payment for prospects who might earn much more once they break into the first team. Associating with a failed or fraudulent crypto project early in a career can damage reputation and complicate future sponsorships.

The exception is when an established platform offers a development deal tied to on-field performance. For example, a crypto company might pay a youth player €10,000 upfront plus bonuses for first-team appearances and goals. These deals align incentives and don’t require the player to promote questionable projects.

EU Regulation Tightens Crypto Rules

European Union regulation of cryptocurrency is tightening. The Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework took effect in 2024 and requires crypto companies operating in Italy to meet specific licensing and transparency standards.

This regulation helps football players by filtering out questionable operators. Before MiCA, any crypto startup could approach players with sponsorship offers, and due diligence was difficult. Now, companies need licenses to operate legally in Europe, which provides a baseline level of legitimacy.

Serie A clubs, including Roma, are watching Premier League teams handle crypto partnerships. Several English clubs have signed major deals worth eight figures annually. If those partnerships prove stable and profitable, Italian clubs may pursue similar agreements despite the DigitalBits experience.

The player perspective is evolving. In 2021, crypto deals were seen as risky but potentially lucrative. By 2026, they’re viewed as normal part of a diversified sponsorship portfolio, similar to endorsements from car companies or watch brands. The difference is selecting legitimate partners and structuring deals properly.

Roma’s Future with Crypto

Roma players will continue taking crypto sponsorships, but more selectively. The club won’t interfere unless a deal conflicts with existing partnerships or creates reputational risk.

As blockchain technology matures and regulation clarifies, crypto partnerships may become more appealing at the club level too. Roma could pursue another major crypto sponsor if the right opportunity emerges, but only with stronger contract protections than the DigitalBits deal included.

The integration of esports, crypto, and traditional football sponsorships creates opportunities for players who understand all three spaces. Roma’s continued involvement in competitive FIFA and potential expansion into other esports titles positions the club well to capitalize on these convergent markets.

For now, the approach is cautious but open. Players have freedom to pursue individual deals. The club evaluates partnerships case-by-case. Serie A’s crypto experiment continues, with Roma players navigating it more carefully than they did during the initial rush in 2021-2022.