The prominence of ultras in Italian football is well documented and while plenty can stake their claim for being the best or the most vocal, only one set of ultras can proudly say “We were first”. Dubbed the ‘Curva Nord' after the stand they stand in, the Inter Milan Ultras were the first set of football ultras to make a name for themselves in Italy and they are still making their voice heard today.
Over the years, they have played their part in countless memorable San Siro moments while they have also been involved in plenty of unsavoury incidents, too. What makes the Curva Nord stand out from the crowd, though? Let's take a look.
Inter Milan Ultras: History
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The Curva Nord first formed in the 1960s when Inter Milan were emerging as a force in Europe as well as in Italy. The club won three consecutive Serie A titles from 1963-1966 and back-to-back European Cups in 1964 and 1965.
To match their success on the pitch, Inter Milan's ultras became a formidable force off the pitch. The core of the Curva Nord was originally made up of young Inter Milan supporters who loved the club as well as the City of Milan. They were prepared to defend the badge and the City against all opponents and they were simply known as “the boys” in the early days.
Several Inter Milan Ultra groups have emerged or split off from the Curva Nord over the years but after the death of Vittorio Boiocchi, the leader of the Curva Nord, in 2022 a statement was released and all groups came back together under one banner – ‘Curva Nord Milano 1969’.
These supporters now all congregate behind one of the goals at the San Siro and have made the atmosphere inside the stadium better than ever. At the time, the announcement stated:
“The beginning of a new era, a single flag that will represent all of us and our identity from the very beginning: Curva Nord Milano 1969’. Starting from the home match with Napoli, all the groups of the first barrier will stand behind that banner.
“Each group will remain in its ‘place’ but under one emblem. It is time to look to the future and start again, also because the past of those who wrote pages of history of the Nord will always be remembered and nothing will be forgotten.”
“The time for talk is over, we need desire, courage, passion and a lot of love for Inter to make our beloved Curva Nord shine again. United, proud and never tame, forward Curva Nord!”
Inter Milan ultras: The good and the bad
Some of the loudest atmospheres in European football history have come at the San Siro courtesy of the Inter Milan Ultras. One of the most iconic came in 2010 when Inter faced Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals. Barcelona were the holders and tournament favourites but were stunned by Mourinho's Inter with the Curva Nord creating a special atmosphere.
One of the most infamous moments involving Inter Milan Ultras came in the 2004/05 Champions League quarter-finals. Inter found themselves 3-0 down on aggregate to AC Milan with 20 minutes to play in the second leg when flares started to rain down from the stand which houses the Inter Milan Ultras inside the San Siro.
The match was eventually abandoned but not before AC Milan was struck on the head by a red flare which resulted in Inter Milan being forced to play four European matches placed behind closed doors. It did at least provide us with some iconic images.
In more recent times, the Curva Nord made headlines when they boycotted a match against Genoa due to Italian authorities banning choreographies and megaphones. The ban was enforced after the Curva Nord caused trouble in a match against Juventus.
Prior to the match, the ultras attacked police and the Juventus team bus. The unsavoury scenes resulted in 50 Inter Milan ultras being arrested and forced the authorities into taking action against the supporters.
The ban on choreographies (tifos, banners etc) and megaphones expired in June 2024.
Best Inter Milan Tifo
The ban on tifos would have hit the Curva Nord as the Inter Milan ultras have created many memorable tifos over the years but the one that stands above all others is the one they created for a match against Juventus in 2015. The match was played just a few months after Juventus lost in the Champions League final against Barcelona and Inter fans wanted to remind their opponents of that misery.
The top half of the tifo depicted the Champions League trophy, the Coppa Italia trophy and the Serie A trophy. The banner below read “Berlin, 06.06.2015… you almost did it…”. Then, the bottom half of the banner depicted the Beagle Boys in bed dreaming of the treble – a feat Inter accomplished in 2010.
