Langerak was facing a two-week isolation stint upon his return to Japan had he travelled with the Socceroos to Kuwait,where they will play four games in 12 days from June 3 to complete the second round of qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

Kuwait is currently recording around 1300 new cases of COVID-19 per day,and is about to enter the peak of summer,ensuring searing conditions for Australia,Jordan,Chinese Taipei,Nepal,and the host nation,who will assemble in a hub format in Kuwait City to complete the outstanding Group B fixtures.

Arnold,who is due to name his squad for those matches next week,had recently spoken with Langerak who sought clarity over his playing prospects. But sources close to the Queenslander say that even if he was assured of gametime,he still would have made the decision to retire because of his concerns regarding the pandemic. They also insist it is permanent.

The news is a serious blow for the Socceroos,who have not played a game since November 2019 - the longest period of inactivity for the team in almost 50 years. They are already staring down the toughest path to World Cup qualification since they moved into the AFC in 2006:not only is there a paucity of Australian players in top European leagues or individually excelling like Langerak,the standard across Asia is also rising rapidly,and the implications of the pandemic could mean the Socceroos are unable to play at home until next year.

The Socceroos are rarely beaten in Australia and successful World Cup qualification campaigns are typically built on home-soil performances. But until the government agrees to provide exemptions for visiting national teams - including the Socceroos,given the majority of players are based overseas - to arrive,train,play games,and then depart the country all within less than 14 days,staging matches here is impossible.

That would force Football Australia to find another country willing to accommodate the Socceroos for the home matches they are due to play during the September,October and November windows - assuming they get through the Kuwait hub with no issues,as expected.

“Mitch has been in great form in Japan and was part of our plans,including for next month’s World Cup qualifiers in Kuwait,” Arnold said. “Mitch and I spoke at length earlier this week and while I am disappointed that we won’t be able to call on his services for the Socceroos moving forward,as a coach I will never be disappointed in a player doing what he believes is right for himself and his family.

“Mitch will always be a welcome member of the Socceroos family and I am pleased that I had the opportunity to work with him over the past three years. As his record for his clubs and country suggests,he is a player of great quality,however he is a top-shelf person off the pitch,too,and we always enjoyed his contribution to the Socceroos’ culture.”