Mbappe and French federation condemn Paraguayan senator's racist posts
The France captain and the FFF responded after Senator Celeste Amarilla attacked Mbappe following Paraguay's World Cup exit.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
2 min read
Kylian Mbappe and the French Football Federation have condemned Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla after she posted racist comments about the France captain following Paraguay's World Cup elimination. The FFF said Monday it would report the remarks to the prosecutor's office and seek judicial action.
The dispute followed France's 1-0 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, a result that sent France into the World Cup quarterfinals. Mbappe, France's captain and leading scorer at the tournament, scored the penalty that decided a physical match.
Amarilla wrote a long post on X attacking Mbappe in racist terms. She described him as a “colonised Cameroonian” trying to present himself as French and called him a “brute” who had not learned to write, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. She also wrote that Paraguay's players should have slapped him after the match.
Mbappe answered on social media with a statement that rejected the comments and defended Paraguay's team. He called Amarilla “a despicable woman” who was “unworthy” of her office.
“You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition,” Mbappe wrote. He said Amarilla's “brazen racism” had overshadowed the work of Paraguay's players and given the country a damaging image.
Mbappe added that he would not allow “people like her” to spread hatred and racism. His response framed the issue as an attack on both him and the Paraguayan players whose World Cup run had just ended.
Federation seeks legal action
The FFF said it stood behind Mbappe, the France squad and “all victims” of such comments. The federation described Amarilla's remarks as “utterly abhorrent and unacceptable” and said they were criminal and should be prosecuted.
“These remarks dishonour those who make them and those who spread them,” the FFF said. “The players of the France National Team represent France; it is our country that is being insulted.”
The federation said it would file a report with the prosecutor's office for the purpose of judicial action. It did not give further details on the legal route it planned to pursue.
France now face Morocco in Boston on Thursday in the first quarterfinal. Les Bleus won the World Cup in 2018 and finished second to Argentina at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.