“Last season we were able to generate over US$1million in sponsorship and that is for a Lao club,” Patafta says. “What I could have brought to Sydney FC would’ve been a lot more significant than that.

“This is a key moment for this club who have never run at a net profit. They need to have a long-term vision and plan.

"Winning the A-League title and looking forward to the Asian Champions League doesn’t necessarily equal sustainability or positive net profit from a business perspective.

“Sydney FC is one of the biggest names, now is the time to capitalise and market that brand not just in Australia but Asia.”

While carrying out his duties as GM Patafta says he was often met with surprise, especially from people who remember him as a former Australian youth international.

 “When I was turning up at Asian Football Confederation meetings all year people were shocked,” he says. "I met with A-League executives and everyone kept asking what are you doing here? When I tell them that I am General Manager now they all reply with, ‘everyone thought you disappeared, that you were gone.’

Looking back over the last 12 months Patafta is revelling in his role as GM and is particularly proud of Lanexang United’s accomplishments.

“Last season, we won the Lao Premier League and that success was based on private investment and by having a structure and a plan,” he says.

“We have a big emphasis on scouting young players from around the country and providing education and housing -just general opportunity.

“We have invested heavily, we own our stadium and we’ve developed state of the art football facilities. A lot of people don’t really believe that something like this exists in this part of the world.

“We’ve had record sponsorship, as well as record fan engagement and membership which is great considering that Laos has a population of just over six million.

“We had some great players who had limited ability to showcase their talent but when they had the opportunity in the Mekong Cup we had a lot of enquiries for our players. For the first time, a lot of our young talent were approached by other clubs in this region and now a lot of them are playing in Thailand and Indonesia.”

 “It’s been an interesting experience to do something in a place with limited resources and see improvement in our young playing talent that is putting them on the map.”

Steve Darby is a former national team coach and Technical Director of Laos and he believes Patafta can become an administrator at the highest level of football.

 “Kaz has done a fantastic job in Laos on many levels,” he says

“But most of all he is able to combine playing experiences in quality environments with his legal training. More and more legal knowledge is needed in football administration.

“On a more personal level he has shown to me he has the values of ethics and honesty, things that are not always prevalent in football. He should start to look at an AFC role and then possibly FIFA. He has the all the qualities that are essential for ex- players to get into the administrative system.