Paris Saint-Germain sparkle on the pitch while the city of light burns around them | Barney Ronay

PSG, the pet project of the state of Qatar, expresses the dualism of the city, a place of deprivation where the centre is perfect PSG, pet project of the state of Qatar, expresses the dualism of the city, a place of deprivation where the centre is perfect Those who sought to bring down the Republic will have to answer for it. Tell you who would have loved this? Who would have been utterly engrossed scrolling the hashtag #Paris on Tuesday night as two things happened simultaneously, the harrowing of the Barcelona defence at the Parc des Princes, and the harrowing of Paris itself via tales of city-centre thuggery and end-of-days political doom‑mongering. The big man, Guy Debord himself.

The Society of the Spectacle, you say? Actually, I think we’re past that now. Hold the society bit. We’ll just take the spectacle. The great Parisian Situationist philosopher wasn’t really one for managed fun. But it was impossible not to be bowled over by the extraordinary pre-match show for Paris Saint‑Germain versus Barcelona, Champions League Matchday Three. The wild pyrotechnics, the plumes of smoke, the full-wrap light show, the lime-green robo‑text spelling out every player’s name on the pitch. Although not the Barcelona names, sadly, for anyone with an unrealised desire to see the words “ANTHONY GORDON” projected in vast letters for