Football Federation Australia officials hope to regain vital political muscle by staging successfully the AFC Asian Cup finals in 2015.
FFA was caught offside when the Asian Football Confederation cut Australia’s automatic qualifying spots for the AFC Champions League from two to one.
The surprise move prompted calls from two-time A-League championship-winning coach Ange Postecoglou to boycott the AFC qualifying process.
FFA chief executive David Gallop, who was only two weeks into the role when Australia lost its second AFC automatic qualifying spot, in November, said the 2015 Asian Cup would provide the opportunity to regain the lost berth.
“That loss of the Champions League spot took a lot of people by surprise, and we need to do a lot of work to ensure our position in the AFC is recognised,” Gallop said at an event to mark two years before the Asian Cup kick-off.
“We need to put ourselves in the position to ensure these sort of surprises don’t happen again.
“It’s a matter of allocation resources to the issue, and it is one of our priorities at the moment.”
Asian Cup Organising committee chief executive Michael Brown said he was confident that Australia’s hosting of the event would draw the nation closer to other countries in the region.
“We are working closely with the Asian Football Confederation to ensure Australia hosts a world-class event which celebrates football and continues Australia’s reputation for sporting event excellence,” Brown said.
“Our vision is to deliver a world-class event that celebrates Asia’s rich football culture and leaves an enduring legacy for the game in Australia.
“This presents an outstanding opportunity for Australia to strengthen our cultural, social and economic ties with Asia, including some of our most important trading partners.
“The Federal Government’s Asian Century White Paper acknowledged the power of sport to bridge language and cultural barriers and serve as a platform to build relationships.
“It confirms that events like the Asian Cup offer opportunities for Australia to build on our international reputation for delivering major sporting events, and to promote Australian tourism, trade and other interests in Asia.”
Australia, Japan, Korea DPR and Korea Republic have qualified for the 2015 Asian Cup finals, with qualifying for the remaining spots to begin on 6 February in Jordan.
ANZ Stadium in Sydney will stage the final, with Australia to play its three pool matches in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne respectively.
FFA officials expect 45,000 international visitors to attend the tournament, saying the 2011 event, in which Japan defeated the Socceroos 1-0 in the final, was watched by 500 million people.