Craig Foster#Refugee advocacy
{{short description|Australian retired soccer player, sports analyst and human rights advocate}}
{{about|the Australian sports personality and human rights advocate|other uses}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name =
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}}
| image = Craig Foster 2022.jpg
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| alt =
| caption = Foster in February 2022
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name = Craig Andrew Foster
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1969|4|15}}
| birth_place = Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| death_date =
| nationality =
| other_names =
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| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater = Kadina High School
Johan Cruyff Institute
Central Queensland University
| occupation = Former soccer player, human rights advocate, sports presenter
| years_active =
| era =
| employer =
| organization =
| known_for = Australian national soccer team player and captain, human rights advocacy
| notable_works = Fighting for Hakeem (2019)
| style =
| height =
| television = SBS (2002 – June 2020)
Stan (August 2020 – present)
| title =
| term =
| boards = Australian Republic Movement (Chair), Australian Multicultural Council, John Moriarty Football
| spouse =
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| children =
| parents =
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| awards = Logie Awards (3)
Member of the Order of Australia
| website = {{URL|https://craigfoster.net/}}
| footnotes =
}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Craig Foster
| fullname = Craig Andrew Foster
| image =
| image_size =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| height = {{convert|1.80|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| position = Midfielder
| youthyears1 = 1986–1987
| youthclubs1 = AIS
| years1 = 1988–1989
| years2 = 1989–1990
| years3 = 1991
| years4 = 1991
| years5 = 1992
| years6 = 1992–1993
| years7 = 1994–1996
| years8 = 1996–1997
| years9 = 1997–1998
| years10 = 1998–2000
| years11 = 2000–2003
| years12 = 2019
| clubs1 = Sydney United
| clubs2 = Sunshine Georgies
| clubs3 = Avala
| clubs4 = Singapore
| clubs5 = Avala
| clubs6 = Ernest Borel
| clubs7 = Adelaide City
| clubs8 = Marconi Stallions
| clubs9 = Portsmouth
| clubs10 = Crystal Palace
| clubs11 = Northern Spirit
| caps1 = 39
| caps2 = 33
| caps3 =
| caps4 =
| caps5 = 6
| caps6 =
| caps7 = 50
| caps8 = 26
| caps9 = 19
| caps10 = 52
| caps11 = 43
| goals1 = 2
| goals2 = 0
| goals3 =
| goals4 =
| goals5 = 0
| goals6 =
| goals7 = 16
| goals8 = 4
| goals9 = 4
| goals10 = 3
| goals11 = 2
| nationalyears1 = 1985
| nationalyears2 = 1996–2000
| nationalteam1 = Australia U-17
| nationalteam2 = Australia
| nationalcaps1 =
| nationalcaps2 = 29
| nationalgoals1 =
| nationalgoals2 = 9
| manageryears1 =
| managerclubs1 =
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|AUS}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's Association football}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIFA Confederations Cup}}
{{Medal|RU|1997 Saudi Arabia|}}
{{MedalCompetition|OFC Nations Cup}}
{{Medal|W|1996 Oceania|}}
{{Medal|W|2000 Tahiti|}}
}}
Craig Andrew Foster {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (born 1969), nicknamed Fozzy or Fozz, is an Australian retired soccer player, human rights activist and sports analyst for the Stan streaming service in Australia. Foster played soccer professionally from 1988 to 2003, including for the national team, the Socceroos, from 1996 to 2000, and was chief soccer analyst for SBS from around 2002 until June 2020. He was the 419th Socceroo, and the 40th captain of the national team.
Foster is also known for his human rights advocacies, and is a vocal critic of the Australian Government's treatment of asylum seekers. He played a high-profile role in the campaign to free Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi from detention in Thailand in from late 2018 to early 2019, later co-writing a book about it, Fighting for Hakeem, which became the working title of a 2023 documentary film (renamed The Defenders).
Foster was elected chair of the Australian Republic Movement in November 2022.
Early life and education
Craig Andrew Foster was born in 1969{{Citation | title=Foster, Craig (1969–) | website=Trove | publication-date=2020 | url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1871937 | access-date=29 March 2022}} in Lismore, New South Wales. Both sides of his family are of Anglo-Celtic descent.{{YouTube|KWqYBNh5hbs| Craig Foster interview}} The Easy Road, 23 September 2020.
He attended Kadina High School, periodically returning to speak and motivate students.{{cite web|url=https://www.echonews.com.au/news/6595-local-heroes-go-back-to-school/676817/|title=Local heroes go back to school|work=Lismore Echo|date=18 May 2006|access-date=23 May 2010|archive-date=14 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614195251/https://www.echonews.com.au/news/6595-local-heroes-go-back-to-school/676817/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|first=Adam|last=Hicks|url=http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2008/02/23/apn-foster-back-again-for-the-corey-new/|title=Foster back again for the Corey New Cup|work=The Northern Star|date=23 February 2008|access-date=23 May 2010}} Foster holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Football Business and a Master in Sport Management degree from the Johan Cruyff Institute.{{cite web |date=15 January 2018 |title="The new generations of players in Australia understand more and more the importance of education for their future" |url=https://johancruyffinstitute.com/en/blog-en/new-generations-players-australia-understand-importance-education-future/ |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=Johan Cruyff Institute |language=es}} In 2019, he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Central Queensland University Australia.{{cite web |title=Craig Foster |url=https://www.cqu.edu.au/student-life/graduates-and-alumni/our-alumni/profiles/craig-foster |access-date=25 March 2022 |website=CQUniversity Australia}}
Playing career
=Club career=
Playing as a midfielder, Foster debuted with Sydney Croatia in 1988, playing in a losing grand final in his first season. Foster has said his time at Sydney Croatia is what began his interest in multiculturalism.
He moved to Victorian club Sunshine George Cross in 1989 before returning to Sydney to play for Avala in the NSW Super League in 1992. In 1992/3, Foster played for Ernest Borel in Hong Kong, before returning to Australia to play for Adelaide City in 1994 and then Marconi in the NSL in 1996/7.{{NFT player|pid=12838}}
As a 28-year-old he moved to England, linking up with Terry Venables firstly at Portsmouth in 1997–98, before moving to Crystal Palace as a free agent from 1998 to 2000.{{cite book|title=Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–2011|last=King|first=Ian|date=April 2012|pages=414–7 and 538|publisher=The Derby Books Publishing Company|isbn=9781780910468}}
He returned to Australia to play with Northern Spirit, based in North Sydney, until his retirement from the game in 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/F/FO.html|title=Australian Player Database – FO|website=ozfootball.net|access-date=23 September 2009}}
In 2013 he was listed as a player for the Belmore United Over 35s along with Paul Okon and Francis Awaritefe.{{cite web|website=Facebook. Football NSW|url=https://www.facebook.com/footballnsw/posts/remindertriple-header-of-football-this-sunday-at-blick-oval-belmore-united-footb/510836558965382/|title=Reminder: Triple header of football this Sunday at Blick Oval: Belmore United Football Club Inc. vs Hurstville City Minotaurs|date=17 May 2013}}{{Primary source inline|date=March 2019}}
=International career=
Foster represented Australia at under-16 level, reaching the quarter finals at the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship in China.{{cite web|url=https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/joeys-success-shows-how-far-aussie-football-has-come|website=SBS. The World Game|title=Joeys success shows how far Aussie football has come|first=Craig|last=Foster|date=27 October 2015|access-date=18 February 2019}}
He was the 419th player for the Australia national team (the Socceroos) from 1996 to 2000, earning 29 caps, and was the team's 40th captain, and scoring nine goals.
As a Socceroo, he played in the following competitions and games:
- FIFA Confederations Cup: runner-up, 1997{{Cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/matches/round=1984/match=17489/index.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 14, 2024 |archive-date=June 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618001151/https://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/matches/round%3D1984/match%3D17489/index.html |url-status=dead }}
- OFC Nations Cup: 1996,{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/96oc.html|title=Oceania Nations Cup 1996|access-date=October 14, 2024}} 2000{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/00oc.html#det|title=Oceania Nations Cup 2000|access-date=October 14, 2024}}
- As captain, friendly match, 1–1 draw with Bulgaria, 15 February 2000)
- Australia – Team of the Century: nominee[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/aus-century.html Australia – Team of the Century] The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
=International goals=
:Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Foster goal.
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Craig Foster |
| scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition !scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| style="text-align:center"|1
|{{dts|11 June 1997}} |Western Sydney Stadium, Parramatta, Australia |{{fb|Solomon Islands}} |style="text-align:center"|7–0 |style="text-align:center"|13–0 |
| style="text-align:center"|2
|{{dts|28 June 1997}} |North Harbour Stadium, North Shore, New Zealand |{{fb|New Zealand}} |style="text-align:center"|3–0 |style="text-align:center"|3–0 |1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| style="text-align:center"|3
|{{dts|29 March 2000}} |Na Stínadlech, Teplice, Czech Republic |{{fb|Czech Republic}} |style="text-align:center"|1–3 |style="text-align:center"|1–3 |
| style="text-align:center"|4
|{{dts|15 June 2000}} |Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia |{{fb|Paraguay}} |style="text-align:center"|1–0 |style="text-align:center"|2–1 |Friendly |
| style="text-align:center"|5
|rowspan="4"|{{dts|19 June 2000}} |rowspan="4"|Stade Pater Te Hono Nui, Pīraʻe, Tahiti |rowspan="4"|{{fb|Cook Islands}} |style="text-align:center"|4–0 |rowspan="4" style="text-align:center"|17–0 |rowspan="4"|2000 OFC Nations Cup |
| style="text-align:center"|6
|style="text-align:center"|6–0 |
| style="text-align:center"|7
|style="text-align:center"|8–0 |
| style="text-align:center"|8
|style="text-align:center"|14–0 |
| style="text-align:center"|9
|{{dts|28 June 2000}} |Stade Pater Te Hono Nui, Pīraʻe, Tahiti |{{fb|New Zealand}} |style="text-align:center"|2–0 |style="text-align:center"|2–0 |2000 OFC Nations Cup |
=Football honours=
- One of a team of 11 Hong Kong Top Footballers (an annual award) in the 1991-92 Hong Kong First Division League{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
- 1997 Oceania Footballer of the Year: nominee (5th overall)[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ocpoy97.html Oceanian Player of the Year 1997] "This award is open to all players originating from Oceania, no matter where they play. The winner is chosen by a forum of journalists." The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 4 Jan 2000.
- 2000 OFC Nations Cup: Top scorer{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
=In retirement=
Human rights and social advocacy
Foster is a member of the Australian Multicultural Council, since 2018 and {{as of|March 2022|lc=yes}}.{{cite web | title=Australian Multicultural Council | website= Department of Home Affairs (Australia) | url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/mca/Pages/australian-multicultural-council.aspx | access-date=26 March 2022| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220326060842/https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/mca/Pages/australian-multicultural-council.aspx| archive-date =26 March 2022| url-status= unfit}} He has long been an advocate for footballers and has been human rights and refugee ambassador for Amnesty International. He has often used his position as presenter and chief football analyst at SBS to criticise unethical practices in the game.{{cite news|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/13/craig-foster-the-man-behind-hakeem-al-araibis-remarkable-release|first=Calla|last=Wahlquist|title=Craig Foster – the man behind Hakeem al-Araibi's remarkable release|date=13 February 2019|access-date=18 February 2019}} He works in a range of social programs, including Indigenous rights and self-determination; homelessness in Australia; climate change; and advocacy for refugees.
=Hakeem al-Araibi campaign=
Foster was vocal in campaigning on behalf of Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi, who was granted protection as a political refugee in Australia in 2014 but was detained upon arrival in Thailand in November 2018 while on his honeymoon with his wife owing to an Interpol red notice put out by Bahrain. Foster travelled to Switzerland to present a petition with more than 50,000 signatures demanding the release of the detained footballer and held talks with general secretary Fatma Samoura FIFA on 29 January 2019, spent time in Thailand speaking to al-Araibi's legal team and visited al-Araibi in prison.{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/craig-foster-meets-fifa-over-detained-footballer-hakeem-al-araibi|access-date=4 February 2019|date=29 January 2019|title=Craig Foster meets FIFA over detained footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202201524/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/craig-foster-meets-fifa-over-detained-footballer-hakeem-al-araibi|archive-date=2 February 2019|website=SBS News}} Foster's many tweets on the topic were widely shared.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Craig_Foster|website=Twitter|title=Craig Foster|access-date=4 February 2019}}{{Primary source inline|date=March 2019}} After al-Araibi's release was secured, others tweeted nominations for Foster as Australian of the Year or even prime minister. Many politicians, including prime minister Scott Morrison praised him for his efforts.
Foster said after the release of al-Araibi that the fight had just begun, and after the incident had shone light on the atrocities against athletes during and after the Bahraini uprising of 2011, what was needed is a full investigation into the matter by both FIFA and the IOC to ensure that justice is done for all athletes. He also implicitly offered criticism of Australia's current policies on refugees, saying "Australia needs to look at how we treat every human being that comes to these shores, irrespective of how they arrive... We are all equal, and should all be treated with equal dignity, care and respect", and "Australia must do better than we have in recent years".{{cite news|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2019/feb/12/sport-officials-willing-to-sacrifice-hakeem-al-araibis-life-while-in-a-position-of-prestige-should-be-expunged|first=Craig|last=Foster|title=Privileged sport officials willing to sacrifice Hakeem al-Araibi's life should be expunged|date=12 February 2019|access-date=18 February 2019}}
Foster plays a prominent role in the 2023 documentary film The Defenders by Adelaide filmmaker Matthew Bate,{{cite web | title=The Defenders | website=Sydney Film Festival | url=https://www.sff.org.au/program/browse/the-defenders | access-date=24 June 2023}} which tells the story the campaign to free al-Araibi from prison. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on 23 June 2023, after being shown at the Sydney Film Festival (where it won an audience award){{cite web | last=Slatter | first=Sean | title='Birdeater', 'The Defenders' top Sydney Film Festival Audience Awards | website=IF Magazine | date=21 June 2023 | url=https://if.com.au/birdeater-the-defenders-top-sydney-film-festival-audience-awards/ | access-date=24 June 2023}}{{cite web | last=Ma | first=Wenlei | title=The Defenders: The extraordinary story of the Save Hakeem campaign | website=news.com.au | date=22 June 2023 | url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/movie-reviews/the-defenders-the-extraordinary-story-of-the-save-hakeem-campaign/news-story/2745556562c8e0513e459775b4860e9c | access-date=24 June 2023}} and a special preview screening by Adelaide Film Festival in Adelaide on 21 June.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} Foster is also credited as co-writer on the film, as some of the script was based on his book, Fighting for Hakeem, which was the working title of the film.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
=Refugee advocacy=
On 22 February 2019, Foster published an open letter to the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and leader of the opposition, Bill Shorten, in The Sydney Morning Herald, in which, after thanking them for their assistance in helping to free al-Araibi, he addressed the issue of how Australia treats its asylum seekers. He said "I have waited until after Hakeem was safely home [from Thailand] to explain that one of the reasons it was so difficult to garner international support was because of our own treatment of refugees. This was a constant theme throughout discussions with international stakeholders" and "The policy of indefinite, offshore detention does not uphold our international obligations...". He said that he was urging others to uphold their human rights obligations in allowing al-Araibi to return to Australia, while "we are failing to uphold our own".{{cite news|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/dear-scott-and-bill-we-ve-strayed-from-our-values-a-socceroo-s-plea-20190221-p50zbm.html|title=Dear Scott and Bill, we've strayed from our values: a Socceroo's plea|first=Craig|last=Foster|date=22 February 2019|access-date=23 February 2019}}
{{anchor|gameover}}
He became the face of Amnesty Australia's "Game Over" (#GameOver) campaign in late 2019, which has been supported by high-profile sportspeople such as Liz Ellis, Benny Elias, Paul Roos, Ian Chappell, Lisa Sthalekar, Paul Wade, Frank Farina, Alex Tobin, Craig Moore; musician Jimmy Barnes, actors Bryan Brown and Anthony La Paglia musicians and many others.{{cite web | title=#Game Over | website=Craig Foster | date=12 November 2021 | url=https://craigfoster.net/humanrightsactivism/game-over/ | access-date=26 March 2022}} Sally McManus, and many others. The campaign centres on the plight of asylum seekers kept in indefinite detention by the Australian Government, for many years after 2013 at detention centres on Manus Island, (PNG), and Nauru.{{cite web | title=It's time to call 'Game Over' on offshore detention. | website=Game Over | date=3 March 2022 | url=https://www.amnesty.org.au/gameover/ | access-date=26 March 2022}}{{cite web | title=Game Over: Why Craig Foster's refugee campaign matters | website=The Roar | date=9 March 2020 | url=https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/03/10/game-over-why-craig-fosters-refugee-campaign-matters/ | access-date=26 March 2022}} In October 2020, as part of the campaign, Foster and NRL star Sonny Bill Williams presented a petition containing more than 65,000 signatures to federal parliament, which called upon the government to take up New Zealand's longstanding (since 2013) offer to resettle refugees who had been held Australian offshore detention for many years.{{cite web | last=Gregoire | first=Paul | title=Freeing the Refugees Will Free Our Nation: Craig Foster Calls Game Over | website=Sydney Criminal Lawyers | date=4 November 2020 | url=https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/freeing-the-refugees-will-free-our-nation-craig-foster-calls-game-over/ | access-date=30 March 2022}}
On 23 March 2022 Foster delivered the Australian National University's annual "Australia and the World Lecture", which had been postponed from 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, at the National Press Club of Australia. It was titled "Human Rights, Democracy and Global Citizenry - Recovering Australia's Humanity and Place in the World: 2021 ANU Australia and the World Lecture".{{cite web | title='Australia and the World' 2021 Annual Lecture: Craig Foster AM | website=Australian Studies Institute| publisher= ANU | date=22 February 2022 | url=https://ausi.anu.edu.au/events/australia-and-world-2021-annual-lecture-craig-foster-am | access-date=26 March 2022}} The address looked at Australia's role in the world from the lived experience of asylum seekers and refugees, and argued that the nation should live up to its commitments as a responsible global citizen.{{cite web | title=Australia and the World | website=Craig Foster | date=23 March 2022 | url=https://craigfoster.net/australia-and-the-world/ | access-date=25 March 2022}} In the talk, he said that Australia had not performed well Indigenous and refugee rights or on climate change. He bemoaned the lack of good leadership on these issues, and said that the colonisation of Australia had been underpinned by racism, and is still present in policy and media coverage; that it is a "festering sore on the national psyche".{{YouTube|Up5i3QymWhU&t| Craig Foster AM addresses the National Press Club of Australia.}} National Press Club of Australia, 23 March 2022.{{ cite web| url=https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/craig-foster-says-racism-a-festering-sore-on-national-psyche/news-story/7ee4182304e80dd9a6fd3127747884a7| website= news.com.au| title=Craig Foster says racism a 'festering sore' on national psyche| first=Melissa| last= Iaria| date=23 March 2022 |access-date= 30 March 2022}}{{cite web | title=Australia and the World: National Press Club address | website=Craig Foster| format=Video and transcript | date=23 March 2022 | url=https://craigfoster.net/australia-and-the-world/ | access-date=30 March 2022}} The following day, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews announced that the government would accept New Zealand's to resettle some of the refugees.{{cite web | last=Withers | first=Rachel | title=Nine years too long | website=The Monthly | date=24 March 2022 | url=https://www.themonthly.com.au/the-politics/rachel-withers/2022/24/2022/1648094925/nine-years-too-long | access-date=30 March 2022}}
=Saudi Arabia and Qatar=
Foster was a vocal critic of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, particularly on the issue of wage theft and labour abuses on the migrant workers that built the World Cup infrastructure. He has vocally supported the #PayUpFIFA campaign of the Human Rights Watch, which advocates for the payment of US$440 million for the affected families of the mistreated migrant workers.{{Cite web |last=Foster |first=Craig |date=2022-09-21 |title=For those paid to speak, silence is not an option at Qatar World Cup |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/for-those-paid-to-speak-silence-is-not-an-option-at-qatar-world-cup-20220921-p5bjs9.html |access-date=2023-06-08 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}} He has also criticised Saudi Arabia's sponsorship of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup as a case of sportswashing, stating that "It would be quite the irony for Saudi’s tourism body to sponsor the largest celebration of women’s sport in the world when you consider that, as a woman in Saudi Arabia, you can’t even have a job without the permission of your male guardian." He also criticised the reform policies of Mohammed bin Salman as mere "publicity stunts" to diversify the Saudi economy.{{cite web | url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/disgraceful-in-the-extreme-fifa-slammed-for-saudi-sponsorship-of-women-s-world-cup-20230131-p5cgox.html | title=Football Australia 'not consulted' on Saudi deal for Women's World Cup | date=February 2023 }}
=Other roles=
Foster was formerly Director of the Council on Australia Latin America Relations with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Foster was the chair of the Australian Republic Movement (ARM){{Citation |title=A Message from the Australian Republic Movement's new Chair, Craig Foster | date=15 November 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGplx7EBfcQ |language=en |access-date=2022-11-22}} Up until May 2024, he was the co-chair of ARM alongside former Olympian and senator Nova Peris, who resigned to disagreements with Foster's criticism of Israel during the Gaza war. Peris, a supporter of Israel, accused Foster of making "inaccurate and divisive public statements" in regards to the war.{{Cite web |last=Grand |first=Chip Le |date=2024-05-21 |title=Nova Peris quits republican movement over Gaza split with co-chair Craig Foster |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nova-peris-quits-republican-movement-over-gaza-split-with-co-chair-craig-foster-20240521-p5jf9p.html |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530045003/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nova-peris-quits-republican-movement-over-gaza-split-with-co-chair-craig-foster-20240521-p5jf9p.html |url-status=live }} Following this, Foster himself stood down.{{Cite web |last=Grand |first=Chip Le |date=2024-05-22 |title=First Peris, now Foster: Republic movement leaderless after exits |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/first-nova-now-foster-exodus-leaves-republic-movement-leaderless-20240522-p5jfqw.html |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}
He has volunteered with Play for Lives (#PlayForLives), a response to the COVID-19 pandemic by sporting people and bodies, which began in Australia and expanded internationally.{{cite web | title=Gallery | website=Play for Lives | url=https://www.playforlives.org/gallery.html | access-date=29 March 2022}}
{{anchor|rnw}}
He is a driving force behind "#RacismNotWelcome", a grassroots campaign initiated the Addison Road Community Centre, supported by local government associations across Australia.{{cite web | title=Official Website of a community-led initiative | website=Racism NOT Welcome | url=https://www.racismnotwelcome.com/ | access-date=29 March 2022}} Their strategy includes building street signs bearing the slogan "#RacismNotWelcome" in every local council in Australia.{{cite web | title=About | website=Racism NOT Welcome | url=https://www.racismnotwelcome.com/about/ | access-date=29 March 2022}}
{{as of|2022}} Foster also holds the following positions:
- Adjunct Professor of Sport & Social Responsibility with Torrens University
- Ambassador for The Big Issue Street Soccer Program
- Member of the Australia Committee of Human Rights Watch
- Director of the Nangala Foundation for early literacy in Indigenous communities and the Moriarty Foundation football programs
- Member of the Advisory Council of the Australian Human Rights Institute at UNSW
- Member of Affinity Intercultural Foundation
- Director of the Crescent Foundation
Recognition and honours
As a sports broadcaster with SBS, Foster won at least three Logie Awards for the Most Outstanding Sports Coverage as part of The World Game team at SBS.{{cite web | last=Law | first=Benjamin |author-link= Benjamin Law (writer)| title=Benjamin Law's Dicey Topics with former Socceroos captain and now human rights activist Craig Foster | website=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=16 October 2020 | url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/craig-foster-i-increasingly-question-the-value-of-the-sporting-career-i-had-20200907-p55t90.html | access-date=31 March 2022}} Australia's Round of 16 match against Italy in 2006 (at the 2007 Logies); and the 2018 World Cup in Russia (at the 2019 Logies). In 2015 Foster and Les Murray also accepted the Logie in 2015 for their coverage the 2014 World Cup by The World Game.{{cite web | title=Les and Fozz at the Logies | website=Facebook | date=3 May 2015 | url=https://www.facebook.com/SBSTheWorldGame/videos/10153172881017752/|format=Video | access-date=31 March 2022}} (One source reports a win for the 2005 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in Sydney, but this is not confirmed.)
In 2019, the Foster was recognised by the Australian Financial Review as a "True Australian Leader", while The Sydney Morning Herald listed him as one of the "People that Defined 2019".
In 2020 he was a finalist in the Australian Human Rights Commission's Human Rights Medal, for his work in advocating for Hakeem al-Araibi in 2019, and in the same year was awarded the NSW Humanitarian Award (awarded during Refugee Week each year by the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors{{cite web | title=Humanitarian Awards | website=STARTTS | date=21 May 2021 | url=https://www.startts.org.au/news-events/humanitarian-awards/ | access-date=29 March 2022}}) for his work with sport and human rights, and the Abyssinian Medal, as part of the 14th Australian Muslim Achievement Awards (AMAA) founded and hosted by the Mission of Hope and led by Hanan Dover.{{cite web | title=Muslim awards night celebrated nationally | website=AMUST | date=2 December 2020 | url=https://www.amust.com.au/2020/12/muslim-awards-night-celebrated-nationally/ | access-date=29 March 2022}}
He was a finalist for NSW Australian of the Year in 2021.
Artist Julian Meagher decided that he would paint a portrait of Foster each year until it was shortlisted for the prestigious Archibald Prize. His first attempt in 2020 did not make it, but in 2021 his portrait, named Fozzy, made the shortlist.{{cite web | title=Archibald Prize Archibald 2021 work: Fozzy by Julian Meagher | website=Art Gallery of NSW | url=https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2021/30295/ | access-date=26 March 2022}}
In 2021, Foster was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to multiculturalism, to human rights and refugee support organisations, and to football.{{cite web |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-01/ad21_gazette_-_o_of_a.pdf |title=Australia Day 2021 Honours List |date=2021-01-26 |website= |publisher=Government House |access-date=2021-01-25 |quote=}}
Addresses
- 2019: Foster gave the opening address for the UN's Centre for Sport and Human Rights Conference in Geneva
- 2019: Higginbotham Lecture for RMIT University in Melbourne
- March 2022: Australian National University's "Australia and the World Lecture" (postponed from 2021), at the National Press Club of Australia
- April 2022: UniSA Nelson Mandela Lecture, presented by the Hawke Centre at Adelaide Convention Centre (postponed from 2021) in Adelaide.{{cite web | title=All in this together? putting people at the heart of decision making the case for human rights in a new social bargain| series= UniSA Nelson Mandela Lecture| website=UniSA | url=https://unisa.edu.au/connect/hawke-centre/events-calendar/2022-events-program/2022_craigfoster/ | access-date=29 March 2022}}
Publications
Foster is a former columnist for the Sun Herald, and writes for The Sydney Morning Herald,{{cite news|work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=https://www.smh.com.au/by/craig-foster-hvetw| title=Craig Foster|access-date=18 February 2019}} The Age, The Guardian, and other publications.
Monographs include:
- {{Citation | author1=Foster, Craig | title=Fozz on Football | date=May 2010 | publication-date=2010 | publisher=Hardie Grant Books | isbn=978-1-74273-582-5}}
- {{Citation | author1=Foster, Craig | author2=Engel, Alexandra | title=Fighting for Hakeem | date=29 October 2019 | publication-date=2019 | publisher=Hachette Australia | isbn=978-0-7336-4317-0}} (Subtitled: How people power challenged two monarchies, a military junta and football's governing body FIFA... and won.)
Personal life
Foster is married to Lara Foster, and they have three children, Jake, Jemma, and Charli. He wrote a dedication to them in Fighting for Hakeem.{{cite book | last1=Foster | first1=Craig | last2=Engel-Mallon | first2=Alexandra | title=Fighting for Hakeem | publisher=Hachette Australia | year=2019 | isbn=978-0-7336-4317-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-8CgDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT4 | access-date=31 March 2022 | page=4}}
He says he is an introvert, who does not relish social situations.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{external media
|video1= [https://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/one-plus-one/2020-05-20/one-plus-one:-craig-foster/12269294?nw=0 One Plus One: Craig Foster], One Plus One, ABC News
}}
- {{official website|https://craigfoster.net/}}
- {{NFT player|12838/Craig_Foster}}
- {{Soccerway|craig-foster/242930}}
{{1991–92 Hong Kong Top Footballer}}
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{{Australia Squad 1996 OFC Nations Cup}}
{{Australia Squad 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup}}
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{{Football Australia Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Craig}}
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