Bengaluru: France’s win against Paraguay in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup has spiralled into an international racism row. Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla called France captain Kylian Mbappe a “colonised Cameroonian… pretending hard to be French.” Mbappé hit back calling her a “despicable woman” unworthy of her office.
The exchange has now drawn in French President Emmanuel Macron, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, and the Paraguayan government.
The trouble began after full time. Paraguay had frustrated France for 90 minutes with a physical, foul-heavy display, and Mbappe’s 70th-minute penalty proved the only difference. As the whistle blew, Mbappé refused to shake hands with Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who responded by throwing the ball on the Frenchman’s back. In his post-match interview, Mbappe had acknowledged the tenor of the match, saying “we know how to play ugly football.”
Amarilla, reacting to the handshake episode on X, wrote that Mbappe should have been shown “the finger” by Gill. In the same post, she said “The brute didn’t even learn to write; instead of mother’s milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard were chimpanzees.”
She continued her tirade on Instagram, where she called him colonised, “bitter, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly.”
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Response and reactions
Mbappe responded on X a day later. “You are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honor throughout the competition,” he wrote, adding that her racist remarks have overshadowed the Paraguayan team’s historic run at the World Cup.
Macron quote-tweeted Mbappe’s statement on X, saying “Another goal for Kylian Mbappé. Against racism this time. All my support. When words defile, our values respond: dignity, respect, fraternity.”
The French Football Federation said it would file a legal complaint, calling Amarilla’s comments “criminal and reprehensible” and pledging support to “all victims of such odious remarks.” French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari said she was “absolutely scandalised” by the senator’s words. “
FIFA president Infantino added his condemnation, saying “the entire football world and society stand in solidarity with the France captain.”
Paraguay’s government moved quickly to distance itself, calling Amarilla’s remarks “contrary to the values and principles” it upholds and clarifying they reflected her “individual responsibility” as a legislator, not the state’s position.
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Still on the offensive
Rather than apologise, Amarilla posted an open letter doubling down, saying her issue was with Mbappe, not France. She wrote that his “arrogance and contempt” had angered her since before the match, pointing to his remark about being ready to “get our hands dirty”—an idiom she read as an insult against the Paraguay team.
She said she regretted her initial remarks, noting she has faced similar insults herself, but maintained she never attacked his ‘skin colour.’
Calling his comments, “pure and simple gender violence”, she demanded that he retract his statement and apologise. She threatened to take legal action for “gender violence”.
What a disgusting lady. Anyone who watched the match would realize that Paraguay players were not playing in good spirits and now they are acting like victims.