Roma Announce Riyadh Season as New Shirt Sponsor

Roma has announced that Riyadh Season, a Saudi Arabian entertainment festival, will be their new shirt sponsor. This is the latest move by Saudi Arabia to increase its presence in European football.

Roma has announced a new shirt sponsorship deal with Riyadh Season, a Saudi Arabian entertainment festival. The length and financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but Italian media report that it is worth around €8 million ($8.3 million) per season. As part of the deal, Roma will play a friendly match in Saudi Arabia, but the date and opponent have not yet been announced.

Riyadh Season is a Saudi Arabian entertainment and sports festival held in the winter in the capital city of Riyadh. The festival is organized by the Gulf country's Entertainment Authority.

Roma has been searching for a new shirt sponsor after terminating their contract with cryptocurrency company DigitalBits. DigitalBits failed to uphold the terms of their three-year, €35 million sponsorship agreement and were also dropped by Inter Milan. Roma has been playing with the ancient Roman slogan SPQR on their shirts since terminating their sponsorship deal with cryptocurrency company DigitalBits at the end of last season. 

The new sponsorship deal with Riyadh Season is the latest move by Saudi Arabia to increase its presence in football, following the purchase of Newcastle United and the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the Saudi Pro League.