Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla intensified her bitter dispute with the France captain Kylian Mbappélaunched a new verbal attack on the World Cup winner and refused to apologize for the racist remarks that sparked widespread international condemnation.Paraguay’s opposition lawmaker, who previously described Mbappe as a “colonized Cameroonian”, has now branded the Real Madrid forward a “son of ab***”, accusing him of disrespecting Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill following France’s 1-0 win in Paraguay. FIFA World Cup Round of 16.The controversy has become one of the tournament’s biggest off-field talking points, with Mbappe, the French authorities, FIFA officials and the United Nations all weighing in as the war of words intensified ahead of France’s quarter-final clash against Morocco.
Amarilla doubles down on explosive accusations
Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Amarilla showed no signs of backing down from his earlier remarks, insisting Mbappe deserved criticism for allegedly refusing to shake Gill’s hand after the final whistle.“When Orlando Gill, a boy who was sure to set foot in a World Cup for the first time, in Europe for the first time, played in front of the world and extended his hand with all the humility of a Paraguayan, and this son of ab*** refuses to shake his hand and shouts in his face, that he is not French. A Frenchman had never done it”, Amarilla is quoted by Marca.The senator later contrasted Mbappe’s alleged behavior with what he described as France’s cultural heritage.“France is Rousseau, Descartes, Montesquieu, Victor Hugo, Simone de Beauvoir, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. I refuse to reduce all that great France and that enormous cultural, artistic and democratic legacy to Mbappe,” he said.Amarilla also moved about the French superstar while referring to an open letter he had written in French and Spanish.“What should I say to Mbappe now? That he should read my letter. I wrote it in French and Spanish. Let him read my letter, if he can read.”She also warned the striker not to “mix with the Paraguayans”, calling for the 2020 detention of the great Brazilian. Ronaldinho in Paraguay before threatening legal action against Mbappe for what he described as gender-based and political violence.Meanwhile, Paraguayan President Santiago Pena distanced himself from the senator’s comments, reiterating that his government opposes “all types of discrimination” and remains committed to defending human rights and free expression.
How the Mbappe-Amarilla feud spiraled
The public clash began after France eliminated Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16.Shortly after the match, Amarilla sparked outrage by calling Mbappe a “colonised Cameroonian” who was “pretending to be French”, while also describing him as “bitter, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly”. She also claimed that France had won “by chance” and claimed that Mbappe and his teammates appeared nervous during the contest.Mbappe hit back on social media, branding Amarilla “a despicable woman” who “wasn’t worthy of her position”, prompting the senator to step up his rhetoric instead of apologizing.The French Football Federation, French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA President Gianni Infantino all condemned Amarilla’s original remarks, while the UN Human Rights Office described them as “racist and dehumanizing”, urging governments, sports bodies and public officials to take stronger action against racism and hate speech in sport.
“Kylian is in a good place mentally”
Despite the growing controversy, France coach Didier Deschamps insisted the issue will not affect his captain ahead of the quarter-finals.“Kylian is in a good place mentally. He is ready for tomorrow,” said Deschamps, making it clear that Mbappe remains focused on France’s quest for another World Cup title despite the storm raging off the pitch.