Supa dupa leagues

Arguments against elite cartels may seem familiar to fans of higher education

Apologies to readers who have been forced by this week’s news cycle to become familiar with association football. But is there anything for universities to learn from the wave of revulsion that has greeted news of a “super league” of elite clubs?

While out campaigning in Gloucestershire, prime minister Boris Johnson addressed the plans to form a league without relegation, intended to further enrich Europe’s most well-heeled soccer clubs. “These clubs are not just great global brands—of course they’re great global brands—they’re also clubs that have originated historically from their towns, from their cities, from their local communities. They should have a link with those fans and with the fanbase in their community. So it is very, very important that that continues to be the case,” he said.