Football’s super league fiasco underlines the need for levelling up everywhere

The bid by top clubs to break away was globalisation at its worst - and emblematic of the UK's problems beyond sport

Four weeks on from what is turning out to be one of the biggest self-inflicted errors by any members of the business elite, the owners of the supposedly top six English football clubs must be wondering how on earth they got themselves into this mess. They are also probably, wishfully, thinking: Head down, this will all blow over."

Among the numerous fascinating aspects of the European Super League debacle, designed to ram through non-competitive staged events for Europe's top teams, is that it arrived in the UK - England, specifically - at a time when the government is trying to resurrect its domestic mantra of levelling up" after 14 months of challenges over Covid-19.

The enforcement of proper boards with true independent directors would be an extremely easy step, and a beginning