Julio Grondona

Julio Grondona
Grondona in 2009.
Born	Julio Humberto Grondona (1931-09-18)September 18, 1931 Avellaneda, Argentina
Died	July 30, 2014(2014-07-30) (aged 82) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality	Argentine
Occupation	Chairman of AFA (1979-2014) Vice-President of FIFA (1988-2014)

Julio Humberto Grondona (September 18, 1931 – July 30, 2014) was an Argentine football executive. He served as president of the Argentine Football Association (Asociación del Fútbol Argentino) from 1979 until his death in 2014. He also served as Senior Vice-President of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association).

Julio Grondona's career in football began in 1956, when he and his brother Héctor founded Arsenal Fútbol Club, inspired by the homonymous English side, in Sarandí, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires. The team's colours, light blue and red, were chosen as a combination of the two most important clubs in Avellaneda, Racing Club and Independiente.

Grondona was president of the club for nearly twenty years, from 1957 to 1976, when he was elected president of Club Atlético Independiente. Under his leadership the club was promoted from the lowest rank in the Argentine football league system, the Primera D, in 1962 and once again in 1964, when the team won the Primera C title.

While holding the Arsenal presidency, he also held positions in neighboring club Independiente, where he was elected as chair of the professional football subcommittee in 1962. While he was in that role, the team won the 1963 Argentine Primera División, the Copa Libertadores in 1964 and 1965 and the Campeonato Nacional in 1967.