France and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé publicly condemned a Paraguayan senator on Monday, labeling her a "despicable woman" after she posted a racist tirade targeting him following Paraguay's elimination from the World Cup. The comments from Senator Celeste Amarilla came after Mbappé's penalty secured a 1-0 victory for France, advancing them to the quarterfinals.
Amarilla's remarks on X, formerly Twitter, described Mbappé as a "colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French," and a "brute" who lacked writing skills. She also suggested Paraguayan players should have physically confronted Mbappé after the match.
In his statement, Mbappé defended himself and the Paraguayan players, asserting that Amarilla did not represent her country. "Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country," Mbappé wrote. "I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
The French Football Federation (FFF) announced its intention to file a criminal complaint against Amarilla, calling her remarks "utterly abhorrent and unacceptable." The FFF stated that the remarks are criminal and must be prosecuted, adding that the French national team represents France and that the country itself was being insulted.
The Paraguayan government issued a statement deploring and rejecting Amarilla's statements, asserting they were contrary to Paraguay's values of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity. The government clarified that Amarilla's comments were her individual responsibility and did not represent the position of the Paraguayan government or its people.
French President Emmanuel Macron's office confirmed that the Paraguayan president had contacted Macron to express support and condemn the remarks. Macron himself posted on X, offering his support to Mbappé and stating, "When words smear, our values respond: dignity, respect, fraternity."
Basilio Nunez, the president of Paraguay's National Congress, also rejected the comments, stating they did not reflect the "genuine values" of Paraguayans and emphasizing that politics and sports should remain separate.