Craig Foster on the beautiful game, justice and why silence is never an option

Former Socceroo, broadcaster, and human rights advocate Craig Foster joins Talal Yassine for a conversation about sport, leadership, and the courage to stand up for others, no matter the cost.

From an idyllic childhood in country NSW to captaining the Socceroos, Craig shares how football shaped his worldview, took him deep inside multicultural Australia, and taught him the difference between positional authority and true leadership. He recalls the injury that nearly ended his career, the gamble that brought him back to the national team a decade later, and the unrelenting work ethic that carried him to success on and off the field.

Craig also talks about his 18 years at SBS championing the game and multiculturalism, his often-frosty relationship with football’s governing bodies, and how he became one of Australia’s leading voices on human rights. From advocating for refugees to leading the global campaign to free Hakeem al-Araibi from a Thai prison, Craig reflects on the personal and professional risks of challenging power.

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Episode Running Order

• Growing up in Lismore and a country kid’s path to elite sport (02:30)
• The pull of football and the power of multicultural teams (11:15)
• Lessons from leadership on and off the pitch (19:55)
• The knee injury that changed everything — and the decade-long comeback (26:40)
• From Asia back to Adelaide: betting it all on the Socceroos dream (33:25)
• 18 years at SBS and the mission to grow the game (42:10)
• Taking on football’s governing bodies (48:15)
• From sport to human rights and the fight against scapegoating (52:10)
• The Hakeem al-Araibi campaign and the cost of speaking out (56:05)
• Quickfire questions: misconceptions, guilty pleasures, and advice to young players (1:01:10)

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