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Racist tirade after France win
France captain Kylian Mbappé condemned Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla after she made racist remarks following Paraguay’s loss to France in the World Cup round of 16, with France advancing to the quarterfinals.
“Mbappé called Celeste Amarilla, a senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy””
Mbappé called Amarilla a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy” of serving in Paraguay’s Congress, after Amarilla posted racist comments on X following Mbappé’s winning penalty in France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay on Saturday.
The French Football Federation said it denounced Amarilla’s comments as “utterly abhorrent” and “unacceptable,” adding that it would refer the matter to prosecutors.
Paraguay’s government released a statement condemning Amarilla’s remarks as “contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country promotes,” and said the senator’s comments do not represent either the Paraguayan government or the Paraguayan people.
Officials and federation responses
France’s sports minister Marina Ferrari said she was “outraged” by Amarilla’s remarks and voiced support for the national team’s captain, writing that “By targeting Kylian Mbappé, the senator is attacking everything our captain embodies and everything our country stands for: liberty, equality and fraternity.”
France’s assistant coach Guy Stéphan also condemned the remarks on Monday, saying, “In three words, it’s indignant, abject, scandalous,” as the dispute played out across social media after the match.
The French Football Federation said it would file a report with the prosecutor’s office for judicial action, describing Amarilla’s tirade as “utterly abhorrent and unacceptable.”
In response, Mbappé posted on X that “Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position,” and said she did not represent Paraguay, a country that “has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition.”
Quarterfinal focus and legal risk
As France turned to its quarterfinal, the dispute remained tied to the World Cup match in Philadelphia where France won 1-0 in the round of 16 and Mbappé scored the only goal from the penalty spot.
“France face Morocco in the first quarterfinal in Boston on Thursday”
France face Morocco in the first quarterfinal in Boston on Thursday, and the French federation’s move to pursue legal proceedings over Amarilla’s remarks kept the controversy in the foreground while the team prepared for the next match.
The New York Times reported that Amarilla, a 61-year-old lawyer and member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, took to multiple social media platforms after the game, including an Instagram post on Saturday night that called Mbappé a “colonised Cameroonian.”
The Paraguayan Foreign Ministry posted on X that it “deplores and rejects” Amarilla’s remarks, which it said “relate exclusively to the exercise of her individual responsibility as a member of the legislature and in no way represent the position of the Government of the Republic of Paraguay or of the Paraguayan people.”
