Arsenal Futbol Club, from the rather shabby working-class district of Sarandi, Avellaneda, in Greater Buenos Aires, have now come out of the shadow of their more famous namesakes in London. They won the Copa Sudamericana in December 2007 – their first ever trophy-and now dream of meeting London’s Arsenal in the FIFA Club World Cup.
At just 51 years of age, Sarandi’s Arsenal are the youngest club kin the Argentine top flight, forming the club was the first step in the ” football career of current FIFA Senior Vice-President Julio Humberto Grondona, who holds the record as longest-serving boss of the Argentinian Football association (AFA) having been in office since 1979. Arsenal were founded as a neighbourhood team by a group of local friends led by the 24-year-old Grondona (who still lives and manages a building materials shop, among other businesses, in Sarandi), and his brother Hector on 11 January 1957. They competed in district tournaments which more often than not ended in fighting.
Julio and Hector played in attack while Roberto Perfumo was the number 4 who later advanced to Argentina’s national team. But Julio dropped out when the club joined the AFA in 1960 to start competing in its lowest (fifth) division a year later. Hector, who later followed his brother as president of one of the neighbourhood’s big clubs, Independiente, continued playing into the 70s, however, and still holds the club’s scoring record with 168 goals in 319 games. His son, Gustavo, shone as a midfieldef there in the 90s.
Hector later became the club’s coach and eventually its president when, in 1992, he promised the players a bonus if they gained promotion to the second division. They did, but there was not enough money in the till to pay them. He recounts: “I mortgaged my house to pay the players and when my wife found out she wanted to throw me out and have nothing more to do with me and my football craze. But Arsenal are like a son to me.”

Racing stadium, Avellaneda, Argentina, 5 December 2007. America have the Copa Sudamericana in their grasp but lose out to Arsenal de Sarandi on the away goals rule. Brailovsky is on crutches after injuring himself during training. His coaching ideas certainly excite: “I would like my teams to be attacking, attractive and spectacular. Once the ball is rolling, it is very difficult to get them to do what you planned and practised, but the football that I want is designed to make fans return to the stadiums.” He praises the courage of his players while also acknowledging mentors such as Maspoli, Zurdo Lopez, Hector Veira, Ramos Delgado or Gitano Juarez and his conversations with Menotti, Bilardo and La Volpe.
He had spent the previous five years as a commentator on ESPN, but without coaching: “Probably because I had hardly any experience in Mexico. I don’t have any representatives and that prevented me from making approaches to certain club boards, until someone plucked up the courage and I was fortunate enough to be allowed in. When I retire I’m going to go back to television. I love transmitting to people what I see in a match.”
Alberto Daniel Brailovsky is sure to write new chapters in the history of his involvement in football.

3. Israel 8 April 1987,
Municipal stadium, Brasov, Romania. Israel take their hosts by surprise with a goal from Brailovsky in the 19th minute. Ten months after leaving Mexico, Maccabi Haifa was his next destination, a club in a country with which he was already familiar. “I lived in Israel when I was a boy. I’m Jewish and I’m proud that people know it. That’s where the nickname ‘The Russian’ comes from. I was thrilled to be called up to the Israeli national team, it was a very special feeling.” He went on to play for Israel for two years.
An example of peace:
Municipal stadium, Kfar Kana, Israel, 1996. Brailovsky’s career as a technical director began with a proposal from second-division club Maccabi Kfar Kana. He said that he would take the job if Jews and Muslims were allowed to play together. A meeting was held in Kfar and the local population approved the idea. “It was a team whose aim was to stay up and we ended up being promoted to the national league. God showed the world that it is possible to live together; he puts you in the right place at the right time. It was a Muslim town with a stadium with capacity for two thousand. At the last matches there were another three thousand standing around the pitch. They made a special VIP box out of wood for my wife and daughter. Every night a different family would invite me to have dinner with them and I didn’t eat at home for almost that whole year.”