Roma sign sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways

Soccer Football - Champions League - AS Roma Training - Trigoria Training Ground, Rome, Italy - April 23, 2018 General view during training REUTERS/Tony Gentile

(This April 23 story corrects Qatar Airways launch date to 1994, Meridiana rebranded, not merged this year in penultimate sentence)

(Reuters) - AS Roma have agreed a multi-year partnership with Qatar Airways which will make the airline the team's official shirt sponsor until 2021, the Italian Serie A club said on Monday.

Roma, who face Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday, did not provide financial details but said the deal was the largest signed by the club and one of the biggest ever agreed by an Italian side.

FILE PHOTO: The Qatar Airways logo is pictured at the International Tourism Trade Fair ITB in Berlin, Germany, March 7, 2018.

"We are delighted to announce this historic partnership between AS Roma and Qatar Airways, two great brands with global ambitions," AS Roma president Jim Pallotta said in a statement.

"With a new stadium due to begin construction late this year and the team in the Champions League semi-final for the first time for 34 years, it's an exciting time to be a Roma fan."

Qatar Airways will be the seventh shirt sponsor in Roma's 90-year history.

Launched in 1994, Qatar Airways bought a 49 percent stake in Italian carrier Meridiana last September, which was rebranded as Air Italy this year.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)