Thu 26th Oct 2006

Around 100 angry Universidad de Chile supporters stormed the club's headquarters on Thursday to protest over a delay in selling tickets for Sunday's derby at Colo Colo.

Police and witnesses said the fans knocked down the main gate, painted the walls with graffiti and damaged furniture.
 
"The police were called due to disturbances and damage to property," police chief Jorge Fernandez told reporters. No arrests or injuries were reported.

Universidad de Chile were declared bankrupt in May and several slogans on Thursday were aimed at the receiver Jose Manuel Edwards, who is at loggerheads with the club's biggest supporters group Los de Abajo (The Ones from Below).

The fans are opposed to plans to turn Universidad, one of Santiago's big three clubs alongside Colo Colo and Universidad Catolica, into a public limited company.

Thursday's trouble began after hundreds of fans had queued overnight for tickets.

The fans were furious because ticket offices did not open at 10am as promised. They were also angry only 2,500 tickets were made available.

There were chaotic scenes as only two ticket windows eventually opened.

The match is controversially being played at Colo Colo's Monumental stadium, rather than the National Stadium, despite fears over security.

The Monumental stadium has not hosted the fixture since August 2003 when a Universidad de Chile player was hit by a missile thrown from the crowd, causing the match to be abandoned in the second half.

A leader of Los de Abajo told reporters the fans wanted at least 10,000 tickets.

"We're not a neighbourhood team like Catolica," said the fan, who goes under the nickname Anarkia.

He added supporters were also buying tickets for the part of the ground occupied by hardcore Colo Colo fans.

"We've been provoked," he said.

Last week, Colo Colo's Copa Sudamericana match at home to Gimnasia-La Plata was called off in the 86th minute after a visiting player was hit by a piece of concrete thrown from the stands.

Reuters