He questioned the timescale the CRWG report was put together and added: "There was a heavy influence from those that are very sympathetic to the outcome of the Congress Review Group.

"We're the only independent thinkers here. They've all got vested interests at stake here. It's a report. Does it mean it's right? Parts of it are right. Large parts of it we agree with and support.

"But the two crucial parts of it – being the make up of the congress and the imbalance in congress as well as the path to a separate A-League – our board strongly disagrees with and we've made that very clear."

Lowy's defence of maintaining the FFA's current strong grip on the sport's governance rested on the performance of the sport over the past 15 years.

He hailed the success of the Socceroos and Matildas and insisted A-League clubs' annual losses had been substantially reduced.

"For the stakeholders who must determine the future in coming weeks I issue this warning: those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes," he said.

"To those who are tired of the debate and wish for an outbreak of peace so that the game can get on with life, I say: be very careful what you wish for.

"So much of the debate about this struggle over governance has been woefully superficial and simplistic – treating it as a petty political fight.

"This has obscured the core principle over which the game is divided. The key principle is this - we shouldn’t allow representation to be driven by money."

The debate over governance has been sparked by the influence Lowy and his family have had over the game without giving a voice to others involved in the sport, but he claimed a similar danger lay in wait if there was reform.

"The type of governance model advocated by our critics leads to the trading of political favours between a few individuals, who would then control the many," he said.

"Even though our game now has record revenues at FFA, it is a finely balanced ecosystem with too few resources.

"When you allow vested interests to overwhelm the board debate it is inevitable that other deserving interests will lose out.

"This is ultimately about national interest.

"Not just in terms of ensuring our national teams and grassroots get the resources they need - but in terms of who controls it."

He added: "We are now at a tipping point – the game can get stronger, or it could break if vested interests prevail."