Mbappé effigy burned in Asunción as Paraguayan senator renews attacks

Paraguayan supporters burned an effigy of Kylian Mbappé in the streets of Asunción the night following Paraguay’s elimination by France (1-0) in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. The images, widely shared on social media and by local outlets, were part of the San Juan Ara festival: according to this Paraguayan tradition, residents are invited to set fire to representations of people they hate most. This year, some Albirroja supporters chose to target the France captain rather than a political figure.

Tension around Mbappé extends beyond this street scene. Earlier in the day, senator Celeste Amarilla had again spoken before the Senate to attack the French striker, accusing him of not shaking goalkeeper Orlando Gill’s hand at the final whistle. “When Orlando Gill, a young man who was probably setting foot in the World Cup for the first time, extends his hand with all the humility of a Paraguayan, this son of a bitch refuses to shake his hand and yells in his face. That’s not French. A Frenchman would never have done that,” she said.

This intervention follows racist remarks made by the same senator in the preceding days, during which she notably called Mbappé a “colonized Cameroonian” and made degrading racial comments. Paraguayan president Santiago Peña had then publicly disavowed Celeste Amarilla, who was also criticized by a large part of the local press.

The incident of the refused handshake with Orlando Gill, which occurred after the match, crystallizes part of Paraguayan resentment. While the 1-0 defeat to France ended Albirroja’s World Cup campaign, it is this gesture — or its absence — that now fuels public debate in Asunción, far beyond the sporting result alone.