Racist remarks by Paraguayan senator spark clash with Kylian Mbappé

French football star Kylian Mbapp has become embroiled in a war of words with Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla after the ill-tempered end to the 2026 World Cup round-of-16 match between their countries. France edged Paraguay 1-0 thanks to a Mbapp penalty in a fiercely contested encounter in which the South American side employed a highly physical approach, prompting repeated complaints from the French players. Mbapp appeared visibly frustrated after the final whistle. He refused to shake hands with Paraguayan goalkeeper Orland Gill, with whom he had exchanged words during the match. “If we have to put our hands in the shit, we’ll put our hands in the shit. Paraguay thought we’d show up in tuxedos, playing beautiful attacking football. We know how to play dirty too. That’s how they play,” Mbapp said after the match. Amarilla responded with a racist post on X, calling Mbapp “a colonized Cameroonian” who “pretends to be French,” as well as a “resentful, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly man” who had been “scared throughout the match.” She later shared a post from Argentine sports outlet Ol showing Mbapp refusing to shake Gill’s hand, going on another racist tirade and adding that Mbapp grew up sucking on coconuts rather than breast milk. Amarilla has served as a senator for the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA) since 2023. She is known for her outspoken style and has frequently sparked controversy through fiery public exchanges. Mbapps response Mbapp replied on his X account, addressing Amarilla directly. “You are a despicable woman, unworthy of your position,” the France captain wrote. “You do not represent Paraguay, a country that has exuded passion and honor throughout the tournament.” He added that Amarilla’s “unabashed racism” had shifted attention away from “the historic journey and effort” of Paraguay’s players to “an incompetent woman who is projecting the worst possible image of her country.” “I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world,” he concluded. Following Mbapp’s response, Amarilla published an open letter in which she said her comments had been written “when my blood a mix of Indigenous American and Spanish was boiling,” adding that she later “regretted and deleted the message” because she too had “been discriminated against for my brown skin and South American origin.” She insisted that “the problem is between him and me, not France,” and demanded an apology from Mbapp for saying she was unworthy of her office. FFF and Macron weigh in Amarilla’s remarks also drew a response from the French Football Federation (FFF), which expressed “its full support to its captain, its players and, more broadly, to all victims of such hateful remarks.”  The federation said it had filed a report with the public prosecutor’s office with a view to pursuing legal action. French President Emmanuel Macron also weighed in. “Another goal for Kylian Mbapp this time against racism,” he wrote on X. “I stand with him. When words become toxic, our values stand firm: dignity, respect and brotherhood.”