Australia left Oceania to join the Asian Football Confederation in 2006 in what was seen as one of the key moves to revitalise the sport.

The move to AFC opened up a direct route to the World Cup and the Socceroos have qualified for every tournament since.

It also allowed A-League sides to compete against the continent's best in the Asian Champions League, while also providing stiffer competition for youth sides at all levels too.

But Australia has struggled to feel a part of Asia and the 2010 bid to host the men's World Cup in 2018/2022 saw Australia go head to head against eventual winners Qatar as well as fellow AFC rivals Japan and Korea.

There is also an underlying bitterness in some areas against Australia for repeatedly taking one of the four automatic qualification spots for World Cups at the expense of other Asian nations.

Now FFA chairman Chris Nikou has admitted Australia's place is precarious.

"Our position in Asia in my view is more fragile that it should be," he said. "But I think it's a relationship most football people would say we want to preserve.

"We have good friends and support to the East [of Asia]. We're not that well-liked to the West."

Nikou's predecessor Sir Frank Lowy managed to ingratiate himself into Asia by charming the Gulf states into accepting Australia's bid to join the Asian Football Confederation.

But there has been growing discontent against Australia since Lowy retired as chairman four years ago.