Read 3 minutesUpdated: 7 July 2026 07:18 PM IST
Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla of the Liberal Radical Party demanded an apology. Kylian Mbappe The France superstar slammed her for racist comments she made following Paraguay’s World Cup round of 16 loss to Les Bleus, where he called her a “disgusting woman” who was “unfit” to serve in Paraguay’s Congress.
Amarilla released an open letter to Mbappe on social media in French and Spanish, in which she said her problem was with the player, not the country of France. She wrote that she regretted treating Mbappé with “the same insults” she received as a mixed-race person and deleted her post.
But she demanded an apology from Mbappé, accusing him of gender-based violence in his comments about her and threatening legal action if he did not retract them.
Madam Celeste Amarilla,
Vous êtes une femme méprisable et indigne de sa fonction.
Vous ne représentez pas le Paraguay, ce pais qui transpiré la passion et l’honneur tout au long de la competition. Par votre insensitivity and votre racism décomplexé, le monde entier a déjà… pic.twitter.com/EnYmgQXvPL— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) 6 July 2026
Earlier, Mbappe had posted on X, accusing the politician of making racist comments after the Paraguay match. “Madam Celeste Amarilla, you are a disgusting woman and unfit for your position. You do not represent Paraguay, a country that has sweated with passion and honor throughout the tournament. Because of your recklessness and your blatant racism, the whole world has forgotten the journey and historic effort of your players during this World Cup, which made the image of my country’s women’s player possible. People like her will never be allowed the freedom to spread their hatred and racism around the world, ” wrote Mbappe on his X account.
The whole controversy started after Amarilla posted a series of racist comments on X after Mbappe converted the winning penalty in France’s win over Paraguay on Saturday, mocking the French captain’s origins, upbringing, education and appearance. France have entered the quarter-finals and will face Morocco on Thursday.
Paraguay’s government released a statement on Monday afternoon condemning Amarilla’s remarks as “contrary to the values and principles our country promotes of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity.” It added that the Senate’s comments did not represent the Paraguayan government or the Paraguayan people.
The French Football Federation condemned Amarilla’s comments on Monday as “absolutely despicable” and “unacceptable” and will refer the matter to prosecutors.