The French Football Federation has announced plans to initiate legal action against a Paraguayan senator, following her allegedly racist remarks about Kylian Mbappé, the star striker and captain of the French national team.
The controversy arose after France secured a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup’s Round of 16. Mbappé was instrumental in the win, scoring the match’s sole goal from a penalty in the 70th minute.
In the aftermath of the match, Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla took to X to express her views on the game, targeting Mbappé with personal insults. In her post, she labeled the French captain as “newly rich, arrogant and ugly,” and made derogatory comments concerning his Cameroonian roots and nationality.
Reacting strongly, the French Football Federation condemned these comments as “criminal and reprehensible,” emphasizing their frustration with the derogatory nature of the remarks.
“Such statements are a disgrace to those who utter them, as well as to those who propagate them. The players of the French national team embody the spirit of France; hence, insulting them equates to insulting our nation,” the Federation remarked.
The federation said it will file a report with the public prosecutor’s office, with a view to starting legal proceedings.
Mbappé also responded to the remarks on social media, describing Amarilla as a “despicable woman” who he believes is “unworthy” of her position.
“You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition,” the 27-year-old said.
“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 …”
‘Disgraceful, vile, outrageous’
Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement following the incident.
“The Government of the Republic of Paraguay deplores and rejects the remarks made by Senator Celeste Amarilla regarding the captain of the French national team,” it read.
“These statements run counter to the values and principles of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country promotes.”
The government added that the Republic of Paraguay is governed by the “principle of the separation and independence of state powers”. In this context, it said statements made by Amarilla “in no way” represent the position of the Paraguayan government or people.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office confirmed that Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Palacios had written to him to express support and condemn the remarks.
Guy Stephan, the assistant coach of France’s national football team, summed up the incident in three words — “disgraceful, vile, outrageous”.
Amirilla, 61, is a lawyer in Paraguay and member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party.
She posted an open letter in French and Spanish directed to Mbappé on social media on Tuesday, saying her problems were with him rather than France.
The politician said she regretted issuing the “same insults” to Mbappé that she had received as a mixed-race person, and she had deleted her post.
But she also demanded an apology from Mbappé, accusing him of gender-based violence in his comments, and threatening legal action if he did not retract them.
She previously posted about Mbappé on Saturday — criticising the footballer’s heritage and intelligence on social media.
In a statement, the French Football Association reaffirmed that it “offers its full support to its captain, its players and, more broadly, to all victims of such abhorrent remarks”.
“Now more than ever, the FFF is committed to combating racism and all forms of discrimination.”
— With additional reporting by Reuters.