Few groups have influenced the identity of an Italian terrace as profoundly as Commando Ultrà Curva Sud. Known throughout the country by the initials CUCS, the group transformed Roma’s fragmented organised support into a coordinated mass capable of leading the entire Curva Sud. Its enormous banner, relentless drumming, memorable chants and ambitious displays became defining images of Roma’s supporter culture during the late 1970s and 1980s.
CUCS was not simply another group positioned behind its own banner. It was conceived as a united command for the whole terrace, bringing together supporters from different neighbourhoods, generations and political backgrounds. For more than two decades, including periods of division and attempted reunification, its name occupied the central position in the Curva Sud.
The Birth of a United Curva
Organised support at Roma had already begun developing before the arrival of CUCS. The Guerriglieri della Curva Sud appeared in 1967, while groups such as the Boys and Fedayn were founded in 1972. Fossa dei Lupi, Pantere Giallorosse, Kamikaze and several smaller collectives subsequently added to a terrace that was passionate but divided between different banners and leaders. Towards the end of 1976, leading figures from the supporter scene began discussing the creation of a single structure. The objective was to coordinate chants, flags, drums, away travel and communication with the wider Curva Sud. Instead of several groups competing for attention, Roma would have one central organisation capable of mobilising thousands of supporters.
The project made its public debut on 9 January 1977, during Roma’s home match against Sampdoria. A 42-metre red banner carrying the words “Commando Ultrà Curva Sud” in large white letters appeared on the wall of the old Stadio Olimpico. Roma won 3-0, but the enduring image of the afternoon was the banner that announced a new era in the Curva Sud. Among the principal groups involved were Fossa dei Lupi, Pantere Giallorosse, Boys and the Guerriglieri. Fedayn also participated in the initial project but soon withdrew, choosing to preserve their independent identity while continuing to support the wider curve. Other groups joined or worked beneath the CUCS structure as the new organisation expanded. Antonio Bongi, one of the founders of the Boys, was among the young supporters responsible for developing the project. The first match involved only a limited number of drums and large flags, but the group maintained its chants for the full ninety minutes. This continuous and coordinated support was still unusual at the Olimpico, where many traditional spectators initially struggled to understand the behaviour of the younger generation.
A New Model of Support
The strength of CUCS came from its ability to make thousands of individuals act as one terrace. Chant leaders positioned themselves on the wall, drums controlled the rhythm and flags provided constant movement behind the banner. Instructions for displays and away trips were circulated through leaflets, allowing the group to communicate with supporters long before social media or mobile phones existed. CUCS also represented an attempt to place Roma above the political differences found among individual groups. The Boys and Fedayn came from contrasting backgrounds, while members arrived from neighbourhoods with very different social identities. Inside the Commando, the shared commitment to Roma was intended to take priority over party politics.
The model proved highly effective. The Curva Sud became known for its volume, colour and ability to continue supporting Roma regardless of the score. Large numbers followed the team across Italy, while CUCS material became familiar at railway stations, motorway service areas and away sectors throughout the country. The group was never completely uniform. Fedayn left the united structure almost immediately, and the Boys restored their independent banner in 1984. Nevertheless, CUCS remained the central force in the Curva Sud and continued to coordinate much of its support.
The Paparelli Tragedy
The first major crisis arrived during the Rome derby on 28 October 1979. Vincenzo Paparelli, a Lazio supporter sitting in the Curva Nord, was killed by a distress rocket fired from the opposite side of the stadium. The individual responsible was identified and later surrendered to the authorities, but the consequences affected the entire Roma supporter scene.
The tragedy produced intense public condemnation and a wider debate about violence inside Italian stadiums. For a period, the CUCS name, its official material and its drums disappeared from the terrace. Support continued under less identifiable banners, including “I Ragazzi della Sud”, while the group faced restrictions and pressure from outside the stadium. CUCS gradually restored its public presence, with the 1980 Coppa Italia final against Torino representing an important step in that process. The group survived one of the darkest moments in the history of the Rome derby, although the death of Paparelli remained an inseparable and painful part of the period in which it operated.
The Golden Years of the Curva Sud
The early 1980s became the most celebrated period in CUCS history. Roma’s success on the pitch coincided with a Curva Sud that had developed into one of Italy’s largest and best-coordinated terraces. The group’s identity was built not only through victories but also through its reaction to defeats and disappointments. Roma’s 1982-83 championship season gave CUCS a national stage. The historic banner accompanied the team throughout the campaign, while the celebrations surrounding the club’s second league title demonstrated the scale the organised support had reached. The relationship between the team and the terrace was embodied by figures such as Agostino Di Bartolomei, Bruno Conti, Roberto Pruzzo and Francesco Rocca.
One of the most famous CUCS displays appeared during the derby on 23 October 1983. Before Lazio’s nominal home fixture, the Curva Sud raised coloured cards that formed the enormous words “Ti Amo”. The idea had been inspired by a card display seen during the 1980 Moscow Olympics and was transformed into a simple declaration of love for Roma. The display required extensive preparation at a time when choreographies were created by hand and financed almost entirely by supporters. Roma’s 2–0 victory completed the occasion, but the visual impact of “Ti Amo” ultimately became more famous than the match itself. It remains one of the most recognisable images in the history of Italian terraces.
The following year brought the European Cup final against Liverpool at the Stadio Olimpico. CUCS prepared a huge flag featuring the trophy, while Roma supporters entered the stadium many hours before kick-off. The defeat on penalties became one of the most painful nights in the club’s history, but the scale of the occasion confirmed the Curva Sud’s international reputation. Another defining moment came against Bayern Munich on 20 March 1985. Roma were heading out of the Cup Winners’ Cup, yet the Curva Sud raised its scarves and continued singing “Che sarà, sarà” for an extended period. The support continued despite elimination, leaving a powerful impression on Bayern’s players and coach Udo Lattek. That afternoon illustrated the mentality CUCS wanted to establish. Supporting Roma was not supposed to depend on the result, the opponent or the importance of the competition. The terrace was expected to remain active when the team needed it most, particularly during disappointment.
The unity built over the previous decade collapsed during the summer of 1987. Roma president Dino Viola decided to sign Lionello Manfredonia, a former Lazio captain who had also represented Juventus. His history with Lazio, previous remarks about Roma supporters and involvement in the Italian betting scandal made him unacceptable to a significant section of the Curva Sud. Before the transfer was completed, the terrace had been united in asking the club not to sign him. When Viola continued with the deal, CUCS faced a fundamental question. Should an unwanted player be opposed because of his past, or supported because he was now wearing the Roma shirt?
The disagreement divided the group into two factions. CUCS Gruppo Anti-Manfredonia, commonly known as CUCS-GAM, maintained its opposition and refused to support the team in the usual way when Manfredonia was playing. Vecchio CUCS accepted his presence reluctantly, arguing that anyone wearing Roma’s colours had to be supported. This was not a minor disagreement between a few individuals. The two factions divided the central space of the Curva Sud and produced separate material, chants and statements. Tensions culminated in a serious internal confrontation during Roma’s Coppa Italia match against Genoa on 2 September 1987.
Manfredonia’s eventual retirement following a heart problem did not immediately repair the damage. The dispute had become a wider struggle over leadership, mentality and the future direction of the terrace. Opposta Fazione emerged from a further division within the anti-Manfredonia side in 1989, adding another influential group to an increasingly complicated Curva Sud.
Reunification and the Final Years
An attempt to restore unity began during the 1991–92 season. The message “La Curva unita è il nostro atto d’amore”, meaning “A united Curva is our act of love”, expressed the desire to end years of internal conflict. A more formal reunification between Vecchio CUCS and CUCS-GAM followed in 1993. The restored Commando, however, could not recreate the structure of the early 1980s. Italian terrace culture had changed, while a younger generation was forming groups with different ideas about organisation and leadership. AS Roma Ultras emerged in 1994 and gradually became an increasingly important force in the lower central section of the Curva Sud.
Further divisions weakened CUCS. Fegati Spappolati separated from the group in 1997, while other sections aligned themselves with the new structure developing around AS Roma Ultras. The Commando banner remained a powerful historical symbol, but the group no longer possessed the authority it had exercised before 1987. The 1998-99 season proved to be its final campaign at the centre of the terrace. One of its last major choreographies appeared during the Rome derby on 29 November 1998. It was a final demonstration of the visual culture CUCS had helped develop over more than twenty years.
On 12 September 1999, before Roma’s home match against Inter, the Commando Ultrà Curva Sud banner was removed from its traditional position. AS Roma Ultras and associated groups occupied the central section, confirming the change in leadership. After twenty-two years, CUCS ceased to operate as the principal organised group of the Curva Sud.
The Meaning of CUCS
Commando Ultrà Curva Sud did not remain active, but much of the culture it established survived. Chants first organised under its banner continued to be heard, while its approach to coordinated support, handmade displays and mass participation influenced later generations of Roma ultras. The name CUCS still represents the period in which separate groups succeeded, however imperfectly, in creating a single commanding structure.
Years after its disappearance from the terrace, former members donated the original 42-metre banner to AS Roma’s historical archive. The gesture ensured that the most important physical symbol of the group would be preserved rather than privately owned, sold or divided. It also reflected the original idea that the Commando belonged to the wider Roma support and not to any single individual. The history of CUCS contains unity and division, creativity and confrontation, extraordinary support and painful events that cannot be ignored. Its importance comes from the scale of what it attempted to build: a Curva Sud capable of speaking with one voice while representing an entire city’s attachment to Roma. From the first banner in January 1977 to its removal in September 1999, Commando Ultrà Curva Sud became one of the defining groups in the development of Italian ultras culture.