The potential of a multimillion-dollar payday has convinced Football Federation Australia to enter the East Asian Championships for the first time, but A-League clubs will now lose players for two rounds of the forthcoming season in order to help the Socceroos qualify.

After a lengthy deliberation, the FFA has accepted an invitation from Japan to play in East Asia's regional tournament, despite being a member of ASEAN, but with competition falling in non-FIFA dates that means the domestic competition will have to provide at least half of the 20-man squad Holger Osieck will take to Hong Kong for a five-team qualifying tournament in December. The balance of the squad is likely to be drawn from various Asian leagues, after European-based players were ruled out.

The news was broken to A-League clubs last week, and several coaches have since expressed their frustration that they could lose key players to a tournament that has struggled to gain international recognition.

However, the FFA believes the East Asian region offers enormous long-term benefits in political, financial and footballing terms, and the invitation was too good to refuse.

''These championships are a great opportunity for Australian football,'' chief executive Ben Buckley said. ''Our participation will enrich Australia's engagement with the fastest growing football region in Asia, including Japan, South Korea and China. Emerging Socceroos will get the chance to gain valuable international experience, especially those who play in the A-League. The commercial opportunities are also important, so this will help Australian football at many levels. There may be players away on international duty during the A-League season in December, but that's part and parcel of the world game. We'll make sure that is carefully managed.''