Paris is painted in the colours of PSG today, but beneath the confetti lies a less celebratory reality. As fans flood the Champs-Élysées to cheer their team’s Champions League triumph, the French government has issued a stark warning for British travellers: heightened security measures are now in place. This is, of course, the price of modernity.
The celebration is a rare moment of unity in a city still scarred by recent pension protests and social unrest. Yet for British tourists, the cost of a Parisian holiday just got dearer. Not in euros, but in patience.
Expect longer queues, bag checks, and a heavy police presence. The city’s already strained infrastructure will be tested further. Meanwhile, the French treasury has footed a significant bill for this security operation.
Taxpayers will wonder if the glory of a football victory justifies the expense. Market efficiency suggests not. The state’s role should be minimal, not bankrolling football fanfare.
But as a nation, France has always prioritised spectacle over fiscal discipline. The real match here is between emotion and economics. And as always, the bottom line loses.
