Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla Faces Racism Row After France-Paraguay World Cup Match

France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the World Cup round of 16 was marred by racist comments posted on social media by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla, directly targeting France captain Kylian Mbappé.

In a particularly violent message, the elected official wrote to the Real Madrid striker: “You imbecile, you didn’t even learn to write. Instead of drinking your mother’s milk, you sucked coconuts and the most educated beings you ever heard were chimpanzees.” She also called on Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill to make an obscene gesture at the French player.

These statements followed an incident at the final whistle. According to images broadcast by Diario Olé, Orlando Gill had attempted to shake Mbappé’s hand, which the player ignored. Annoyed, the goalkeeper then kicked the ball into the back of the Frenchman, who did not react. In the mixed zone, however, Gill addressed the episode with restraint: “I wanted to shake his hand but since he ignored me, it got to me. But I quickly calmed down. I have nothing but congratulations to offer them. France is having an excellent World Cup and is among the title contenders.”

Throughout the match, marked by provocative behavior from Paraguayan players and great tolerance from the referee, Mbappé maintained his composure, responding to provocations with smiles. Senator Amarilla’s outburst goes well beyond the sporting realm and risks fueling controversy far beyond the match result. France will face Morocco in the quarter-finals.