Many of the football clubs that were founded in South America in the 19th century were given English names, some because they were founded by Britons and others simply because football was considered the “English game.” But neither of these reasons caused the club to be called Arsenal Futbol Club. Julio Grondona explained: “When we got together to form the team in 1957 we had a long discussion about a name. Then the goalkeeper (Moises), who stuttered, said ‘A…A…Ars…..Ar ..sese..nal.’ We were not quite sure what he meant at first and laughed so much that we agreed on Arsenal, dreaming that some of the London club’s fame and success would some day rub off on us.”
The colours – light blue with a red diagonal stripe – caused less discussion and were chosen because the founding members were all either fans of Independiente (red) or Racing Club (light blue and white), the two big clubs of the borough of Avellaneda, of which the district of Sarandi (where Arsenal’s stadium is located) is a part. In 1964, the club inaugurated its own stadium with wooden benches as seats and a capacity for 10,000 spectators. Since gaining promotion to the top flight for the first time in 2002, it has been refurbished with cement but still holds only 18,000 spectators, forcing big games – like last year’s Copa Sudamericana final home leg -to be played at either the Independiente or Racing Club stadiums. The steadily growing club now also has three tennis courts, a hockey field and swimming pool – plus countless fans from other clubs who have a soft spot for Arsenal because of their rapid rise from a poor district and practically nothing to international stardom.

Arsenal have never been a rich club and they are not in a position to attract star players. In fact, they are only one of three clubs (alongside Boca Juniors and Lanus) who adopted their association’s suggestion to make their board members responsible for any deficit in the club’s books – and they are one of the few clubs not in the red. They therefore have to choose their playing staff carefully and they caused quite a stir at the beginning of the season by signing 13 new players.
They must have been chosen well by coach Gustavo Alfaro in the light of their cup success with a comparatively small pool of players. And they surprised all along, first beating big Argentine club San Lorenzo and strong Mexican opposition Guadalajara and America in the semi-finals and finals. And Arsenal also travelled well, as they won all their matches as visitors.
Arsenal were also the giant killers in the last Apertura, beating San Lorenzo 4-2, River Plate 2-1, Boca Juniors 2-1 and Independiente 3-2. And with no relegation worries for the moment – halfway up the relegation averages table – their main aim now is the Copa Libertadores. If they win that — and London’s Arsenal finally manage to win the UEFA Champions League — they may fulfil another dream of meeting their London namesakes in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan at the end of the year.

Arsenal’s most famous player, while they were still in the lower divisions, was midfielder Jorge Burruchaga. After moving to Independiente, he earned a place in the national team, for whom he scored the winner in the 3-2 victory over West Germany in the 1986 FIFA World Cup™ final. Later, he became Arsenal’s coach when they won promotion to the top flight in 2002.
Julio Grondona was Arsenal’s first president, remaining in that position until 1975 when he became independiente’s boss. Arsenal have always been a family club, with only five presidents in its 51 years of existence. The current president is his son, Julio junior. This has led people to call it “the Grondona club” and when it won promotion several times it was often rumoured that they were receiving help from the AFA. But during their rise up the league ladder, they were also relegated one year, from the third to the fourth division (in 1965), but quickly bounced back.
Julio Grondona senior never comes to watch the team now as he feels that it would add fuel to the rumour that the team is being helped by the AFA (through referees), but together with his brother Hector, he is still their greatest fan. His son says that as soon as matches are over, he always receives a phone call from his father – even when he is abroad with the national team or on his frequent visits to FIFA in Zurich – to find out all about the game.