Los de Abajo
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For the Mexican novel Los de Abajo, see Mariano Azuela.
Los de Abajo ("The Ones from Below") is the official supporters group of Universidad de Chile. They are the biggest group of supporters in Chile.
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[edit] History
The group initially was formed around 1988, in the worst times of the club, when the youth members of the official group at the time (Imperio Azul, or Blue Empire) started to make a change in the way of supporting the team that was more related to the barra brava style from argentina. In 1989, when they stole a banner from the archirival ultras group, the group was expulsed from the official group after the negative to give the banner back. After that, the youth group moved to gate 12 of the National Stadium, where Universidad de Chile played his home games, and they started the new group called Los de Abajo ("The Ones from Below"), because they used to be below the official group before moving to gate 12.
In 1989, the group made his fame, when the club was in second division and they still keep supporting the team like never before. They have his reward with the inmediate promotion to first division.
At this point the group start to be more aggressive, mainly because at the derby with Colo-Colo ultras group of that team used to move around the stadium usually throbbing normal fans of Universidad de Chile, so Los de Abajo start to "clean" the neighborhoods around the stadium, so the normal fans could go to the stadium with their families.
In 1994 Universidad de Chile won his first title in 25 years. The final match was played in El Salvador, a mining town of 10.000 habitants in the desert, and a stadium with a capacity of 20.000 people. 25.000 fans of Universidad de Chile travel there to see the end of the title drought. From that point the team was always on the main spot of the championship, so the long wait and enthusiasm in the bad times was rewarded. In 1994 they also became the official supporters group of the club.
[edit] Critiscism
From the beginning the group have been criticized for the violent acts in which they are involucrated. The press have been very critical and always claim that the "barras bravas" (ultras, but in south American form) are the reason of the lack of people un stadiums. Although, Los de Abajo never fight fans of Universidad de Chile or normal rival fans. The fights are only with other ultras groups, a unusual characteristic of ultras groups in Chile. They have been always involucrated in fights against the police.
Los de Abajo is the only supporters groups that have his members registered, and normally the people involved on the mentioned acts aren't registered, and are considered outsiders of the "barra" that just go to make conflict in the stadiums.
In recent times Los de Abajo changed their always confrontational manners for a "defending way" saying "don't fight unless they attack us".
[edit] Social and Political Activism
Los de Abajo are well known for their left-wing ideas. They were born in the Pinochet dictatorship, and the majority of the Universidad de Chile fans were known for their opposition at the dictatorship. On the other hand, Pinochet was honorary president of the archirival Colo-Colo, and he helped on the building of the stadium with government funds, so for every game played in the Colo-Colo field they like to destroy the "Pinochet Stadium".
The group is mainly formed by working-class men's, low-class teens, and students. Los de Abajo make several charity events, and recreational activities. Also, in 1999 they opened the "Escuela Libre Los de Abajo", a free school for teens of low-class and people that didn't finish their basic grades. In 2006 they also open a free preuniversitary, so the students can study to achieve the universitary aptitude exam.
On the politic hand, in 2003 they were one of the fundational organizations of the Juntos Podemos Más, a left-wing coalition that includes the Communist Party of Chile and several others organizations. They had one candidate to deputy on the 2005 parliamentary election.
