Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop also defended Cahill's selection, rejecting the idea that his call-up had been influenced by commercial factors.
Cahill was unveiled as the centre of a marketing campaign by the Socceroos' primary sponsor Caltex, before the ink was even dry on Van Marwijk's trimmed group.
The opportunistic timing of the "Cahilltex" campaign, whereby a number of petrol stations have been renamed in honour of the country's leading goalscorer to coincide with the Russia tournament, triggered questions about the fairness of Cahill's selection.