MBAPPÉ CONDEMNS PARAGUAYAN SENATOR'S RACIST ATTACK ON EVE OF FRANCE-MOROCCO CLASH
France captain Kylian Mbappé, the French Football Federation, FIFA and even the United Nations have all denounced racist remarks made by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, with Paris prosecutors now investigating just as Les Bleus prepare to face Morocco in Thursday's quarterfinal.
What Happened
Kylian Mbappé has spent the days before France's World Cup 2026 quarterfinal against Morocco dealing with an ugly controversy far from the pitch. After the France captain converted the winning penalty in Les Bleus' 1-0 round-of-16 victory over Paraguay, Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, a member of the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party, posted a series of comments on X mocking Mbappé's Cameroonian heritage, his upbringing, his education and his appearance. Multiple outlets, including Al Jazeera and ESPN, described the posts as explicitly racist and dehumanizing rather than ordinary sporting trash talk.
Mbappé did not let the comments go unanswered. Writing on X, he stated: "Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position." He continued in a follow-up post: "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" — a pointed reminder that Paraguay's own run to the knockout rounds was one of the tournament's feel-good stories before it was overshadowed by the senator's remarks.
Amarilla initially deleted her posts and wrote, according to reports cited by NBC News, that she had "retracted" her comments, adding: "yes, it is racism, which is why I deleted my post. I apologise to everyone; I hate racism." However, the dispute reignited late Monday when she published an open letter in French and Spanish in which she said she regretted using "the same insults" she says she has faced herself as a mixed-race woman, while simultaneously accusing Mbappé of gender-based violence in his response and demanding he apologize, reportedly threatening legal action of her own if he did not.
Reactions and Context
The French Football Federation (FFF) did not mince words, calling Amarilla's comments "utterly abhorrent" and "unacceptable" and confirming it would refer the matter to prosecutors. That complaint led the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office to open a formal investigation, according to reporting from Get French Football News, examining whether the posts amount to public insults aggravated by race under French hate-speech statutes.
The response reached the highest levels of French government. President Emmanuel Macron offered his "full support" to his country's captain, while Sports Minister Marina Ferrari wrote on X that "the senator is attacking everything our captain embodies and everything our country stands for: liberty, equality and fraternity." On the other side, Paraguay's national government moved quickly to distance itself from its own senator, releasing a statement — reported by Euronews — condemning her remarks as "contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity" and stressing that they do not represent either the Paraguayan government or the Paraguayan people.
FIFA also weighed in, with the governing body calling the remarks "despicable and, regrettably, not isolated," and noting that the episode reflects a wider pattern of racist incidents connected to the tournament. Football's governing body added that public officials carry a heightened responsibility to speak out against racism, discrimination and hate speech rather than engage in it, according to a statement cited by Yahoo Sports, which reported that the United Nations also issued its own condemnation of the comments.
The timing has added extra weight to the story. France now turns its attention to Thursday's quarterfinal against Morocco at Gillette Stadium outside Boston, a rematch of their 2022 World Cup semifinal, which Les Bleus won 2-0. Mbappé arrives at the match having scored seven goals in the tournament, tied for the Golden Boot lead alongside Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, and as one of several key French players — including Ousmane Dembélé and Randal Kolo Muani — of African heritage who have anchored Les Bleus' run to the last eight. France's dressing room has reportedly rallied around its captain in the buildup to the game, treating the episode as further motivation heading into one of the tournament's marquee ties, pitting Mbappé against his close friend and former PSG teammate Achraf Hakimi.
For background on the match that triggered the controversy, see our coverage of Mbappé's penalty against Paraguay that tied him with Messi atop the Golden Boot race, our preview of the France-Morocco quarterfinal bracket, and our earlier profile of Kylian Mbappé as France's captain at this World Cup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Celeste Amarilla is a senator in Paraguay's Congress, affiliated with the opposition Authentic Radical Liberal Party. She posted a series of racist comments on X targeting Kylian Mbappé after France's round-of-16 win over Paraguay.
Mbappé wrote on X that Amarilla was "a despicable woman and unworthy of your position," and added that her comments had overshadowed the achievement of Paraguay's own players at the World Cup.
Yes. Following a formal complaint from the French Football Federation, the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into whether Amarilla's remarks constitute a criminal offense under French laws against racially aggravated public insults.
It has not affected France's participation. Les Bleus, with Mbappé as captain and joint-Golden Boot leader, are set to face Morocco in the quarterfinals on July 9, with the controversy providing an additional emotional backdrop rather than any disruption to the squad.