Socceroos legend Doug Utjesenovic has warned that the forced abdication of Football Federation Australia's chairman and board would be "the beginning of the end" for the club game in this country.
Utjesenovic, who played right-back for the Socceroos in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, said Australian football was not in a good place and going from bad to worse.
A change of administration and an expanded A-League are not the answer to the game's ills, he said.
The governance of the game in Australia is in limbo at the moment and world governing body FIFA have approved the recommendations of an independent working group and urged FFA to adopt a series of reforms in the forthcoming extraordinary general meeting next month amid an overwhelming clamour for change.
Failure by Whitlam Square to do so would throw the game into complete disarray, with a threat of suspension from FIFA a distinct possibility.
"If these small people succeed in getting rid of Steven Lowy and have a larger representation at the big (Congress) table and get more teams in the A-League, we will have a disaster on our hands," said Belgrade-born Utjesenovic, who is now 71.
"We are talking here about small fry who try to be big and become above the sport. They talk and try to dictate but they do nothing except that they are killing the game.
"The Lowys have done a lot for our game ever since Johnny Warren persuaded Frank to lead our football 15 years ago.
"Our game needs only one leader - a 'dictator' if you like - not many leaders from all the states with vested interests. The Lowys may be absolutists but I have no problem with that.
"The game faces many challenges but take the current FFA out of the equation and it will be the beginning of the end of our game as we know it.
"We also cannot have more teams in Australia's top league because there are not too many more people who would watch the game here.
"How can Wollongong, Canberra, Tasmania, Sutherland or Campbelltown improve the competition when they can draw only small crowds? I know from past experience."
Utjesenovic, who represented Australia 36 times in full internationals, spoke candidly about his club and country experiences.
What are you doing now?
"I'm a self-funded retiree and I spend a lot of time watching sport on television, particularly football and tennis. I live in Sydney at the moment but very shortly I will be taking up residence on the Gold Coast."
You played nine games for OFK Beograd in the 1960s. Were you lucky enough to play in a derby versus Red Star or Partizan?
"Unfortunately not. It was very hard to break into the first team particularly if you did not have the right connections or were not exceptionally good. I started playing for OFK in 1958 at the age of 12 and I was doing okay in the late 1960s and I even played nine senior league games but when a new manager came in and told me in front of the players 'I don't like you' I knew my time in Belgrade was up. I was devastated. A serious leg injury did not help me either."
Was this why you chose to come to Australia in 1969?
"I got word that JUST Footscray in Melbourne were looking for a full-back and I took the opportunity. The rest is history."
Yugoslavia were renowned for their technical football in the 1960s and 1970s yet you adapted very well to the physical game in Oz.
"First of all, for me the transition was very easy because at Footscray I was playing with many Slav players whose mentality and approach to the game were similar to mine. I really did not have to adapt at all. Secondly, if you have the right skills you would have no problem adapting to any style of football, be it British, South American or European. I was quite a decent full-back so playing in Australia provided me with no special challenge.
"At St George I was playing with several top players who were all internationals so it was easy to adjust.
"I always had good vision. This is something I acquired as a kid playing football back home in Belgrade. We used to play in the street - Red Star supporters versus Partizan supporters - but we always had to keep an eye out for any oncoming cars or policemen coming our way from around the corner. Whenever we saw either approaching us we cleared the way for the cars to pass or took the ball away because if we lost the ball we lost our heart. This would later on make me aware all the time of what's around me on the pitch."
You and captain Peter Wilson played every minute of the Socceroos' 1974 FIFA World Cup campaign right from the first qualifier in New Zealand to the last finals game versus Chile in Berlin. Which was the most difficult game of them all?
"The hardest game was the return against Iran in front of a big and noisy crowd in Tehran. We had won the first leg in Sydney 3-0 and we thought that would be enough. The Russian referee who had been on holiday in Iran for a week did us no favours by giving the home team a very dubious penalty and before half-time they scored an unbelievable goal to make it 2-0. I reckon that first half was when Rale Rasic's hair turned white. I remember he came into the dressing room and told striker Max Tolson 'get ready, Maxi, I want to see the ball and their goalkeeper in the net. If we lose this tie don't come back to the dressing room' to which Max replied 'yes, boss'.
"In the second half we played much better and the score remained unchanged but they had a great chance from half a metre in the last moments which thankfully they missed. I will never forget a local photographer who took off his gear to fetch the ball and put it back on the field for play to resume as quickly as possible. I'm sure he was crying.
"Mentally, the return game against South Korea was the most challenging, especially for me. We drew the first leg in Sydney 0-0 and I had a tough time in Seoul against their best player Cha Bum Kun. The Koreans took a 2-0 lead after half an hour but we somehow managed to make it 2-2 to force a playoff. We won 1-0 in Hong Kong to make the World Cup. That was probably my best game in the green and gold. I was glad to be able to feel I had redeemed myself after the second leg's poor performance."
Who was the most important player of that 1974 team?
"The Socceroos' best player was our team spirit, which was due to Rasic's ability to mould a set of players from so many backgrounds into one unit. If somebody had an off-day there was always someone else to compensate. Ours was not a team of individuals but I must say that Wilson was vital to us because of his leadership qualities."
You started in 35 of the 36 full internationals you played in and were replaced only once. That's pretty consistent.
"I must have been Rale's favourite. He knew me from Melbourne. Mind you, I was twice NSW player of the year in the 1970s and I don't think I ever had a really bad season. My attitude was not to take anything for granted because of what I went through in Belgrade. All in all I am satisfied with what I have achieved. I am also proud to say that I never got a yellow card in my career."
You played 10 seasons with St George. Who were your biggest rivals?
"Sydney Hakoah were usually our biggest rivals."
Which was the best memory of your career?
"Qualifying for the 1974 World Cup by beating the Koreans in Hong Kong was something I will never forget. And actually playing in the tournament. It was also the first time we were there which was obviously very special. We did our best but the East Germany team were much fitter and stronger. They were not that impressive technically but physically they were something else. I remember facing their left winger who was in the army and I noticed that each one of his thighs was as big as my two put together.
"We arrived at the Hamburg ground as usual an hour before kick-off and we noticed some players running around. At first we thought there was an early game going on but we soon realised it was the Germans doing their warm-up. We were very surprised because this was something new to us those days.
"We also were introduced to mineral water in a pre-Cup camp in Switzerland and in Germany. As typical Aussies we just drank Coke and when some of our Anglo-Saxon members in the squad saw people drinking water they sneered and said 'look at these stupid wogs, drinking mineral water' but when they tried it they actually liked it."
And the lowest point?
"It came in late 1976, the year I won the player of the year award. I tore a cruciate ligament in my right knee in a tour game in Sunderland and that injury plus the subsequent operation cost me my Socceroos career because I never played again for the national team.
"I was also sorry to unwillingly cause an injury to Jupp Heynckes during the 1974 World Cup that kept him out for the rest of the tournament. He was playing left wing and I was right-back. He tried to pass me from the outside and when he got to the byline to put in a cross I lunged at the ball in a sliding tackle and he did his ankle upon impact, probably because the momentum was all with me. He never came back in the second half and his World Cup would be over. It was just unfortunate and I'll never forget that."
Which coach left the biggest impression on you?
"Rale was one of the best for me because he changed my life when he brought me to Sydney from Footscray."
The full-back role has evolved from the 1970s and 1980s. Your thoughts?
"Not much has changed, actually. I always tried to keep opposing wingers guessing and make them work hard. Yet I made sure that if I went forward I was quick enough to return back to my position when we lost the ball and if the other full-back went on the attack I stayed back. The same thing happens now whether you're playing with four or three at the back because the outside players in a five-man midfield are expected to be wingers when in possession and full-backs when the opposition have the ball."
Who are the best players you have played with and against?
"Ray Baartz was special ... he had great vision, he had a good shot and his passing was crisp and elegant and I respected that. Manfred Schaeffer is also up there. He was solid and tough and did his job to perfection.
"The West Germany team with the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Wolfgang Overath, Paul Breitner and Gerd Muller were easily the best set of players I have faced."
DOUG UTJESENOVIC FACTFILE
Club career
1967-1969: OFK Beograd
1969-1970: JUST Footscray
1971-1980: St George
1980-1981: Kui Tan (Hong Kong)
International career
1972-1976: Australia (36 matches)
