Jose Mourinho has got AS Roma in another European final.
A year after winning the inaugural Europa Conference League, Roma are now ready to go back-to-back as they contest the Europa League final against Sevilla on Wednesday, May 31.
For the last few weeks, an issue with a large shirt sponsor had a number of Serie A teams wearing kits with no logo on the front, but Roma have decided to rectify the situation in a different manner, adding a four-letter abbreviation that's close to home.
The Sporting News brings you the basics on what "SPQR" means on the front of Roma jerseys and why they've had to replace their regular kit sponsor.
Tonight’s strip. 🔥 #ASRoma #RomaMilan pic.twitter.com/JlA3HXLDUG
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) April 29, 2023
Why do Roma have SPQR on front of shirt in Europa League final?
Multiple Italian clubs, including Roma as well as Inter, were left without a main shirt sponsor after suspending their deal with crypto blockchain company DigitalBits.
Both clubs have had DigitalBits as a sponsor since 2021, each signing a three-year deal with the crypto company, with Inter's worth a reported €85 million, while Roma's was worth a reported €40 million plus a €6 million signing bonus. While last year's payments seemingly went off without a hitch, they have reportedly missed a number of recent payments.
Roma reportedly received some early payments this season, but those eventually came to a stop, while Inter claim they have not received a single penny of this year's owed amount.
"DigitalBits has not paid the basic fee of €24m in addition to not having paid bonuses to date for a total amount of €1.2m,” Inter claimed back in February 2023, before suspending the deal two months later.
DigitalBits has responded, saying they are "taking a proactive process for the redefinition of partnerships," placing blame for the missed payments on financial technology company Zytara who were reportedly responsible for negotiating their sponsorship deals.
Both sponsorship deals were suspended at the end of April. Inter wore kits with no main sponsor for the final stages of the Serie A season, but Roma replaced the DigitalBits logo with a phrase close to home, taking the opportunity to flaunt their Roman roots.
MORE: Europa League prize money 2023: Breaking down how much winners get
What does SPQR stand for on Roma shirt?
The letters "SQPR" stand for the Roman slogan which has been used to notate the state since ancient Roman days.
In latin, "Senatus Populusque Romanus," translates to "the Senate and People of Rome." It was used to designate the two components of the Roman state, the government and the populace.
The abbreviation has been used for hundreds of years, adorning coins, printed on documents, and inscripted on things such as monuments, stone carvings, metal works, and other municipal structures. Various sources date the abbreviation and phrase as far back as 80 BCE.
