France striker Kylian Mbappe publicly denounced a Paraguayan senator on Monday after she published a racist attack against him on social media in the wake of Paraguay's elimination from the World Cup. Mbappe's penalty was the decisive moment in a bruising, ill-tempered match that ended 1-0 in Philadelphia on Saturday, sending France through to the quarter-finals.
The senator, Celeste Amarilla, posted a lengthy message on X that included racial slurs and insulting characterizations. In her post she described Mbappe as a "colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French," called him a "brute" who had not learned to write, and suggested that Paraguay's players should have physically confronted him after the match.
Mbappe, who captains the French national team, answered with a strongly worded statement that defended both himself and the Paraguay squad while condemning Amarilla's remarks. In his response he addressed her directly: "Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition."
He went on to fault her for overshadowing the Paraguay players' efforts: "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." The France captain added a vow: "I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
The French Football Federation (FFF) escalated the response by announcing plans to pursue criminal charges. The federation described Amarilla's comments as "utterly abhorrent and unacceptable" and said the remarks were "criminal and reprehensible." The FFF stated it is reporting the matter to the public prosecutor's office "with a view to legal proceedings," arguing that the insults target not only the players but the nation the team represents.
The episode unfolded in the immediate aftermath of a tense match in which Mbappe's successful penalty determined the final score and advanced France to the next round. The incident has prompted public rebuke from the team's captain and formal action from the national federation, while the racist content of the social media post has drawn condemnation in the statements released by Mbappe and the FFF.
Context note: The quotes and facts in this report are drawn from the statements and posts issued following the match; no additional claims or events have been added.