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Club11 July 2026
The crest, and everything it carries
From the Vipers of Benin to the Benin Arsenal. A short history of the badge, the two name changes, and the argument about the colours that never quite went away.
Founded in 1972 as the Vipers of Benin, the club has worn four badges and answered to two nicknames.
The first mark
The original crest was a simple roundel. No snake, despite the name — the viper arrived later, and left again within a decade.
Green and gold
The colours have never seriously been in doubt, though the argument about which green recurs every few years with the reliability of a fixture list.
- 1972–1984: a darker, almost forest green
- 1984–2003: the brighter shade most supporters picture
- 2003–present: somewhere between the two, depending on the manufacturer
Get the green wrong and you will hear about it. Get the gold wrong and there will be a march.
The current mark dates from the last redesign and keeps the elements that survived every previous one: the shield, the year, and the two colours nobody is allowed to touch.
