Mbappe condemns Paraguayan senator's 'brazen racism' after France's World Cup win

Kylian Mbappe has called out Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla as “despicable and unworthy” of her position after she directed a racially charged social media tirade at him following France’s 1-0 Round of 16 victory over Paraguay in New York. The Real Madrid forward scored the only goal of the match as Didier Deschamps’ side advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco.

Amarilla, a 61-year-old senator of Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, vented her fury at her country’s elimination through a series of posts containing foul language and racial undertones aimed directly at Mbappe.

Mbappe responded publicly, writing: “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 honor throughout the competition. 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. I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.”

The fallout from the ill-tempered encounter extends beyond Amarilla. France coach Deschamps has alleged he was subjected to personal insults in the aftermath of the win, while former Paraguay goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert drew widespread condemnation before the match after describing the French squad as a “squad from Africa.”

French football federation president Philippe Diallo moved swiftly to condemn Chilavert’s remarks. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the racist remarks made by José Luis Chilavert against the French national team, which undermine the values of respect, fraternity, and diversity in our football,” Diallo wrote on social media. “If he was once a great goalkeeper, this man has now fallen into disgrace.”

The match itself was a fractious affair, with Paraguay escaping without a yellow card despite a series of heavy challenges on the tournament favourites. France, widely regarded as one of the leading contenders for the title, now turn their attention to a quarter-final against Morocco.