FIFA appears set to take over Australian football with national federation chairman Steven Lowy failing to force through his desired congress model.
Lowy's motion to reform the Football Federation Australia Congress fell short of the threshold to be passed at the governing body's annual meeting on Thursday afternoon.
As expected, the A-League clubs and the New South Wales and Victoria state federations voted against the motion for FFA's preferred Congress model, one also bitterly opposed by the players' union.
Lowy needed a 75 percent majority to expand the membership that votes on the FFA board by the end of Thursday -- FIFA's deadline.
Seven of the nine state federations voted in favour but swing state Victoria stuck to its guns in opposition.
The matter will now be referred to FIFA, which will decide whether to remove Lowy and his board and install a so-called normalisation committee to temporarily run the sport.
Speaking on behalf of A-league clubs, Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin said the vote made it obvious Lowy "has lost the locker room."
"The professional game voted against it, the two major states voted against it," Griffin said.
"Once you lose the locker room in sport, it's very difficult to get it back.
"I think it has to go to FIFA. It's regrettable but that's what it is."