Paraguayan senator doubles down on racist remarks against Mbappé

Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla reiterated her attacks on Kylian Mbappé during a press conference held Tuesday, refusing to back down from openly racist declarations that prompted the French Football Federation to file a complaint and triggered a judicial investigation in Paris.

Amarilla had initially described the France captain as a “colonized Cameroonian, pretending to be French, resentful, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly,” adding comparisons to chimpanzees. Far from apologizing, she chose to attack again during her public remarks. “When this ill-mannered Mbappé shouts at our players, nobody defended them. I retracted myself, but Mbappé must also retract. Don’t mess with Paraguayans, Mbappé, here we put Ronaldinho in prison. Don’t underestimate me,” she declared, while claiming she herself had been a victim of discrimination in Europe.

Mbappé responded on X by calling these remarks “despicable” and the senator “unworthy of her office.” “You do not represent Paraguay, that country which sweated passion and honor throughout the competition. Through your recklessness and your unabashed racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and historic effort your players made during this World Cup to make way for an incompetent woman giving the worst possible image of her country,” wrote the Real Madrid striker.

The matter now has a judicial dimension. The FFF filed a complaint on July 7, 2026 with the National Unit to Combat Online Hate, attached to the Paris prosecutor’s office. The latter opened an investigation for aggravated public insult.