Speaking on The World Game podcast, Craig Foster said he was " extremely worried about the game" due to the governance issues that have been plauging the sport for several years.

"I'm actually extremely worried about the game at the moment. I'm as worried, if not more worried as I was 18 years ago," Foster said.

"Because the other sports have responded in a way that the governors of our sport clearly haven't seen coming.

"We're in a much more competitive sports environment than we were three years ago, let alone five or ten."

A-League attendances and television ratings have fallen dramatically this season, to a greater extent than the similar metric losses seen by the NRL. 

"I don't believe we have the strategies to respond to those challenges and I think the game has stagnated in many ways," Foster said. 

"The Asian Cup in 2015 was squandered, the strategy for the A-League going forward was clearly not in place, it should have been prior to that. 

"The thing that really worries me is the decisions, all of these congress issues, and what's occurring now (with governance reform) really won't manifest itself for another two or three years. 

"In two or three years time I think we're going to be really concerned."

Foster's comments come after FIFA reneged on establishing a 'normalisation committee' to help resolve the stalled negotiations between Football Federation Australia and the other stakeholders in Australian football, regarding board representation and the balance of power.

"We lack strategy, we lack unity ... we are as fractured currently as, potentially, we have ever been," Foster said. 

"I think Steven Lowy and his board have demonstrated that they have lost all confidence of the major stakeholders.

"I think the treatment of the professional game has been nothing short of a disgrace."