France forward Kylian Mbappe has hit back at a Paraguayan senator who made a series of racist remarks mocking his origins and education following their World Cup exit.
Senator Celeste Amarilla, a member of Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, posted the comments on X after her country’s last-16 defeat by France at the 2026 World Cup.
Mbappe responded directly and forcefully, addressing the senator by name in a public statement that quickly drew widespread attention across social media.
“Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position,” Mbappe wrote in his response to the senator’s remarks.
“You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition,” he continued, drawing a clear distinction between the senator and the nation she represents.
“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,” Mbappe added.
He concluded his statement with a firm declaration, writing: “I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.”
Mbappe scored the winning penalty in the second half of Saturday’s tie, sending France through to a quarter-final meeting with Morocco in Boston on Thursday.
The Paris-born forward now has seven goals in the tournament, making him joint top-scorer alongside Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Norway’s Erling Haaland.
Amarilla’s posts are not the only racist controversy to emerge from Paraguay ahead of and after the fixture, with former goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert also drawing condemnation in the build-up to the match.
Chilavert claimed in the days before Saturday’s game that France were fielding “a squad from Africa,” a remark that provoked a swift and stern response from the French football federation.
French football federation president Philippe Diallo publicly condemned the former goalkeeper’s words in the strongest terms before the match had even kicked off.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the racist remarks made by Jose Luis Chilavert against the French national team, which undermine the values of respect, fraternity, and diversity in our football,” Diallo said.
Diallo did not hold back in his assessment of the former shot-stopper, adding: “If he was once a great goalkeeper, this man has now fallen into disgrace.”
France continue their World Cup campaign in confident form, with Mbappe leading the attack and the squad now firmly focused on their quarter-final challenge against Morocco.
