The supporters of Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 have been organizing their support for the team since 1977. Currently, the active ultras groups in the “Curva Sud Siberiano” of the Stadio Arechi include: Boys Vietri, Nuova Guardia, Nucleo Storico, Centro Storico, UMS (Ultras Movement Salerno), Prigionieri di una Fede, Rebel Skull, Teddy Boys, Igus, Vecchi Ultras, Generazione Donato Vestuti, Salerno Che Passione, Torrionesi, Frangia Kaotika, Viking Guerrieri, Old Clan, Giffoni Granata, Mariconda, Colosseo Granata, Raito Granata, Paestum Ultras 1919, Costiera al Seguito, Loose Dogs Salerno, Vietri Supporters 2019, Brigata Sala Consilina, Bologna Granata, Milano Granata, and Club Dal Presidente.
In August 2014, the Fedelissimi group disbanded. In the “Distinti” (North Stand), several groups that split from the “Curva Sud Siberiano,” including the Salerno Ultras, are located. Additionally, in the “Distinti” (South Stand), the Associazione Di Padre In Figlio can be found.
Salernitana boasts one of the most passionate fanbases in southern Italy. In the 1990s, their support was among the best in Italy in terms of numbers, unity, enthusiasm, and choreography. However, following the tragic death of four fans in a fire on a special train returning from an away match in Piacenza on 24 May 1999, which marked Salernitana’s relegation to Serie B, many ultras gradually decided to reduce their involvement.
Despite this, Salernitana’s support remained significant throughout the 2000s. In the 2008-2009 Serie B season, Salernitana had an average attendance of 11,441 per match, second only to Bari (15,345), who won the tournament and were promoted to Serie A, and higher than Siena (11,026), who played in Serie A that season. Despite a disappointing 2009-2010 season, where the team finished last with a 23-point gap from the second last, Salernitana’s supporters averaged 6,199 per match, ranking eighth among all Serie B fanbases.
Salernitana fans set a record for the highest attendance in a Lega Pro Prima Divisione match during the playoff final against Verona at the Arechi, with 25,073 spectators. The 2011-2012 season saw significant numbers too, with approximately 4,000 spectators for the first match of the new club, born from Salernitana’s third bankruptcy, against Internapoli in the Coppa Italia Serie D. This was a remarkable turnout, even higher than some Serie A Coppa Italia matches. That season, Salerno Calcio (the temporary legal name) averaged 3,928 spectators, a significant figure for the division. In Serie B, this would place them twelfth, above Varese (3,640) and behind Brescia (4,406).
In the 2014-2015 season, the Curva Sud Siberiano, the heart of Salernitana support, was voted the most beautiful stand in the third national series in a survey conducted by the official Lega Pro web channel.
Since 1977, Salernitana has been actively supported by its fans from the city and province. That year, groups of young people who gathered at Bar Nettuno and Bar Reale decided to mobilize the public with stadium chants and banners to encourage their hometown team. This led to the formation of the Panthers ’77, the first ultras group in Salerno, which merged with other organized groups (Ultrà , Warriors, Fedayn, and Fighters) in 1982 to form the Granata South Force (GSF).
With the GSF, the Curva Sud of the Vestuti stadium experienced one of its most glorious periods, actively cheering on the team. During these years, the alliances with Bari and Reggina were established.
In the penultimate match of Serie C1 Group B in the 1989-90 season, the away game in Brindisi, which saw Salernitana return to Serie B after 23 years, had the stadium almost entirely filled with Salernitana fans. In 1990, with promotion to Serie B and the move from Vestuti to the Arechi stadium, the Salernitana support expanded with many more organized groups. The Giuseppe Plaitano club grew to become Ultras Plaitano, the second leading group in the Curva Sud alongside the GSF. The Nuova Guardia (NG), an Ultras group from the Pastena district, was also formed in 1990.
Other significant groups included the Viking Guerrieri and the now-dissolved East Side. East Side was the first Salernitana group to produce meticulously crafted material and to introduce two-pole flags, becoming one of the most respected ultras movements in Italy, especially during the second promotion to Serie A in 1998. That year is remembered not only for the impressive performances against the top Serie A teams, despite Salernitana being newly promoted, but also for the severe restrictions imposed on the ultras groups and the tragic fire on the train returning fans from Piacenza for the final match of the season, which resulted in the death of four young fans in carriage number 5. This event deeply affected the curva, leading many members to leave the groups, and many groups to disband.
Today, in the “Curva Sud Siberiano,” named after the historic leader of the GSF who passed away prematurely, the “Salerno” and “Ultras” boards coexist, bringing together several groups, while others, such as Centro Storico and Viking Guerrieri, have chosen to remain independent. The most passionate support now predominantly comes from the lower section of the curva.
Carmine Rinaldi, known as ‘O Siberiano (who passed away on April 12, 2010), Francesco Rocco, known as Ciccio, and Raffaele Russo, known as Rafel’ o Viking, were the most charismatic leaders of Salernitana’s supporters during the 1980s, 1990s, and the early 2000s. Rinaldi and Rocco led the GSF Granata South Force, the main group in the Curva Sud, while Raffaele Russo headed the Ultras Plaitano. Numerous memories remain of these ultras leaders, including chants, choreographed displays, protests against management, and brawls—incidents that occurred over the years as they were involved in the ultras movement.
In 2012, Raffaele Russo ‘o Viking returned to the Curva Sud after many years of absence, which began in 2005 following the collapse of the historic Salernitana Sport club. In 2012, Raffaele ‘o Viking founded his own independent ultras group, “Frangia Kaotika.”
The twinning with Bari’s supporters officially began on September 25, 1983, when the match in Bari ended 1-1, and many Salernitana fans stood side by side with Bari fans in the Curva Nord. This friendship has lasted for over forty years, with fans of both teams showing mutual admiration, respect, and friendship through chants, banners, and choreographed displays during many encounters.
The alliance with Reggina’s supporters started in the 1986-87 season, after previous matches had seen intense clashes between the factions. The following season, at the Vestuti stadium, the friendship was officially sealed with a significant choreographed display by the Curva Sud.
The strong friendship with Brescia’s supporters dates back to the late 1990s. In 1997, during a match between Salernitana and Brescia in Salerno, a Brescia fan, Roberto Bani, died after a fall caused by a push, hitting his head on the steps of the Stadio Arechi. The support and affection shown by Salernitana fans towards the boy’s family were greatly appreciated by the Brescia fans, fostering a very friendly relationship, almost like a twinning.
Salernitana vs Cavese
The supporters of Cava de’ Tirreni, often referred to as “the eternal rivals,” are considered such not only because Cava is just a few kilometers from Salerno but also because both teams were founded in 1919 and have been competing against each other since then. Throughout their history, they have faced each other numerous times, initially in friendly matches, then in Prima Divisione in the 1920s, and later in Serie C. The most recent derbies were in the 2006-2007 season.
One of the most notable episodes of this “fratricidal struggle” occurred during a Prima Divisione match in the 1923-1924 Campania Group. Before the game, which was held in Salerno, the local fans of what was then “Salernitanaudax” mockingly carried a blue-painted coffin to taunt the Cava fans, derogatorily called “cavaiuoli.” However, Cavese won the match with a goal by Tavella. Following the goal, the visiting fans sang highly offensive chants towards the Salernitana supporters, causing the Salernitanaudax goalkeeper, Finizio, to lose his temper and join the Salerno fans in punching the Cavese players. Remarkably, Finizio was not suspended for his actions; such incidents were relatively common in those days. The rivalry was so intense that after the match, Salernitanaudax contacted the Cava management to arrange a friendly rematch to overcome the bitterness of the defeat, but this did not materialize, and they had to wait until the next season for another derby. Today, the rivalry remains strong, although the two clubs have not faced each other for many years.
Salernitana vs Napoli
One of the fiercest rivalries for Salernitana supporters is with Napoli. This animosity began when both teams were in Serie B. However, the spark that reignited the long-standing rivalry occurred during the play-off final against Juve Stabia, held at the neutral San Paolo Stadium in Naples. Napoli fans sided with Juve Stabia, which rekindled the rivalry that had simmered since the 1980s. There had been clashes between Neapolitan and Salernitana fans decades earlier when the two teams played in the same divisions during the 1940s. Additionally, in the 1980s, violent incidents occurred between the fan bases during Coppa Italia matches.
One significant episode of this rivalry took place during a match in 1945 during the Campania Championship in liberated Italy. At the 35th minute, with the score at 1-1, the referee, Stampacchia, awarded a penalty to Napoli. This decision infuriated the Salernitana fans, who had to be calmed by law enforcement. Mazzetti’s penalty hit the post, leading to further incidents during and after the match between fans and players. As a result, the Salerno field (then the Stadio Vestuti) was indefinitely suspended.
Salernitana vs Avellino
Salernitana and Avellino first clashed in the Serie C championships during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, before facing each other in Serie B in the 1990s. The rivalry with Avellino is intense and has often resulted in violent incidents between the ultras groups of both fanbases. In the 1990s, taunts from the stands and clashes outside the stadium marked the rivalry during the period both teams played in Serie B. A historic banner from an away match in Avellino read, “Che l’Italia lo sappia, Breda al 76º,” celebrating a goal by Salernitana captain Roberto Breda that secured their first victory at Avellino’s home ground. This banner was displayed in every stadium Salernitana played in for some time.
Salernitana vs Nocerina
Nocerina is another Campanian team with which Salernitana’s supporters have a bitter rivalry. The hostility stems partly from local pride, given that Salerno and Nocera Inferiore are only 15 kilometers apart. This rivalry has spanned decades, with numerous encounters between the teams, especially in Serie C and Serie C1 tournaments. During the 2002-03 Salernitana-Napoli derby, Nocerina fans, despite being from the Salerno province, supported Napoli, further intensifying the animosity.
A nationally infamous incident occurred during the 2013-2014 season, known as the “farce derby” or “derby of shame.” Nocerina fans, banned from attending the away game against Salernitana, threatened their own players to prevent them from playing. As a result, Nocerina’s players staged fake injuries after using all their substitutions, forcing the referee to suspend the match due to an insufficient number of players. Following this incident, Nocerina was expelled from the league, and severe penalties were imposed on their coaches, officials, and players.