Baan, the national technical director, was in China to watch Australia's group games against Serbia, Argentina and Ivory Coast.

His technical report on what he saw goes to the FFA board at their headquarters in College St, Sydney.

But, as the national governing body told us today, "...board papers are not made public".

PFA CEO Brendan Schwab told au.fourfourtwo.com today that such reports are important for the development of the sport.

"We'd encourage the FFA to release it to the public," he added. "It's in the long-term interest and allows a deeper understanding of football from a technical viewpoint."

Australia scored once in three games, picked up one point and exited at group stage level in China.

The side, as Arnold pointed out, had excellent preparation and the squad picked was, as the FFA also pointed out, entirely the making of the former Northern Spirit coach.

"It's part of a learning culture," said Schwab. "The game is at a level now where there is significant interest in our national teams.

"Perhaps it could be released on two levels. A more digestible version and a second, more in-depth, version."