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Two European Soccer Clubs Cancel Sponsorship Deals With Bitci: Report

Sporting Lisbon pointed to the Turkish crypto firm's failure to make its payments.

By Jamie Crawley
AccessTimeIconFeb 25, 2022 at 10:03 a.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 4:12 p.m. UTC
(Vasyl Shulga/Shutterstock)
(Vasyl Shulga/Shutterstock)
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Portuguese soccer club Sporting Lisbon and Italian team Spezia canceled their sponsorship deals with Turkish crypto firm Bitci, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

  • Sporting Lisbon made the decision because Bitci failed to make its payments, Bloomberg said, citing a person familiar with the matter.
  • A reason for Spezia's decision wasn't given.
  • The news comes just 10 days after motor racing team McLaren terminated its relationship with Bitci, without giving a reason.
  • Bitci operates a crypto exchange and mining facility while also offering fan tokens in partnership with a number of major sports brands. Last year, the firm launched fan tokens for the national soccer teams of both Brazil and Spain as well as numerous club sides, including the English Premier League's Wolverhampton Wanderers and Scottish Premiership team Rangers.
  • The firm last month revealed plans to expand beyond its native Turkey with new exchanges in Brazil and Spain.
  • Bitci, Sporting Lisbon and Spezia didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Read more: Red Bull's F1 Team Signs $150M Sponsorship Deal With Crypto Exchange Bybit


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Jamie Crawley
Jamie Crawley

Jamie Crawley is a CoinDesk news reporter based in London.

Follow @JamieCrawleyCD on Twitter

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