Warren captained Australia to its only appearance in the World Cup finals in Germany in 1974 and played 42 internationals for his country from 1965 to 1974.

He was a passionate advocate for the sport in Australia and helped form the revamped Australian Premier League competition, which will kick off next August.

Warren was diagnosed with tumours in his lungs in late 2002. For a time it appeared he had beaten the illness, only for test results last March to reveal that the tumours had reappeared.

Players, officials and fans expressed their grief at the loss of a man seen as a visionary for Australian football, which has struggled to compete with the rugby codes and Australian Rules football in this sports-mad country.