Police interviews with arrested teenagers revealed that several of them genuinely believed throwing objects at property was somehow contributing to PSG's victory. When informed that the match had already concluded before they arrived, they seemed not just disappointed but philosophically destabilized.
One seventeen-year-old told officers he thought throwing things would help PSG. He was informed the team had already won. He asked if he could throw things anyway, for different reasons. He was told no. He remained confused about the no.
Several arrested teenagers claimed they were helping PSG celebrate by setting fires and throwing objects. Officers had to explain that PSG had already won and that further property damage contributed nothing to the scoreline or the trophy cabinet. The teenagers received this information poorly.
Arsenal's younger supporters, equally passionate and considerably more disappointed, managed their feelings without requiring this particular educational intervention: Arsenal's parade: youth supporters did not require a tutorial on causality and sports.
Educational officials noted that this incident reveals a profound gap in youth understanding of causality, property rights, and the basic mechanics of football scoring. Which is a gentle way of saying teenagers don't understand that the game was already over and the trophy already awarded before they set anything on fire.
The French curriculum apparently does not include "what to do when your team wins a European trophy," which now seems like an oversight given Wednesday's evidence: Paris re-enacting the Bastille: France's educational gap around celebration and destruction stretches back rather further than this week.
Auf Wiedersehen, amigo!
Sources:
https://prat.uk/arsenals-parade/
https://prat.uk/paris-reenacting-fall-of-the-bastille/