Johnson was fuming both privately and publicly,telling Fox Sports he thought it was "quite disrespectful" of the FA's chair Greg Clarke to cast his ballot in line with a bloc of European nations and conveying Australia's collective anger behind the scenes with English football officials.
Sources close to the federation have indicated the outburst was not merely emotional but a deliberate political ploy,made in the hope England would try to make up for their betrayal at some point in the future in some tangible way.
That moment has now arrived,with FFA quietly using the vote as leverage in negotiations with the FA for a showdown in the November international window at the famous Wembley Stadium – where Australia has never played before.
Official confirmation has been delayed because of complexities around travel,accommodation and possible quarantine restrictions – amid anescalating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe – but an in-principle agreement has been struck to pit Graham Arnold's Socceroos against the might of England.
Australia is desperate to secure a series of friendlies in November to ensure 2020 doesn't end without a single senior men's international outing,and are looking at potentially playing two matches in the UK.
One of those is reportedly to be played against the United States in London – but locking in a clash with England at Wembley is FFA's top priority – and the 2023 bargaining chip certainly hasn't hurt their cause.