In the wake of his surprise axing by Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua on Tuesday, the 36-year-old admitted he regularly thought about a return to the A-League, but said the competition's current lack of vision would only hurt his career.
“I just need vision, I’ve never asked for anything but that. The only thing is, some people’s vision is not as big as mine and it’s tough, because it depends where they want to be. Where does the A-League want to be?” he said.
Cahill is tipped to link up with another Chinese top flight side while there is also interest from Korea for the Socceroos talisman.
He saved his strongest criticism for the FFA's handling of the national team, who has gone three years without a major sponsor.
"We've played in three World Cups and we don't really have anything to show for it," Cahill told News Corp Australia.
"Every time I go back it's mayhem and you don't understand how that makes me feel, but at the moment the game is in a bit of a rut where it's caught in a crossroads."
A number of international stars have arrived on Australia's shores since the introduction of the A-League in 2005, including Alessandro Del Piero, Dwight Yorke and Shinji Ono.
But Cahill said none of the stars were used to correctly promote the game.
"Del Piero was one of the biggest things to ever happen to the game, but also the worst because it wasn't capitalised on," he said.
"A guest stint for anyone can only harm you and coming back without any sort of plan and substance is always a recipe for disaster.
"I've seen the record with short-term goals of going back to the A-League and the destruction that it's had on top players careers who have come back to finish there."
He also questioned the federation's long-term vision of the game, saying the FFA is holding the sport back by not putting enough emphasis on the sport's next generation.
"We have the lifestyle, the great schools, great cities and multiculturalism. The only thing we don't have is investment in the game," he said.
“It’s not about me, it’s about where they want to be. It’s about whether the owners and the Federation want to see the bigger picture, or if we’re happy where it is."
