What began as a football defeat turned into an international racism scandal. Following Paraguay's elimination against France in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla sparked a storm by posting a series of racist messages against Kylian Mbappé on social media platform X that went viral around the world.
At the end of the match, Mbappé did not shake hands with the opposing team's goalkeeper and celebrated the victory. In response to this gesture, the senator launched a barrage of insults that no one expected from an active legislator.
"Colonized Cameroonian, pretending to be French, resentful, nouveau riche, arrogant, and ugly," wrote the senator on X. But she didn't stop there: in a second tweet, she added that Mbappé "didn't even learn how to write," that "instead of mother’s milk, he sucked on coconuts," and that "the most educated thing he heard was monkeys." The messages quickly went viral.
Mbappé quickly responded with a direct message: “Mrs. Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, a country that has squandered passion and honor throughout the entire competition. I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hate and racism around the world.” President Emmanuel Macron joined in with a statement that encapsulated the general sentiment: “One more goal for Kylian Mbappé. Against racism this time.”
The institutional support was overwhelming. The French Football Federation announced a criminal complaint, the Paris Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation for "public insults and incitement to hatred," the UN Human Rights Office condemned the comments, and even the Paraguayan government "deplored and rejected" the words of its senator, clarifying that they did not represent the Guarani people. Amarilla, however, far from stepping back, escalated the controversy with new statements that left many people stunned.
First, he half-heartedly apologized, claiming that he "came from a generation" where such comments were common and that he was "deconstructing" himself. But the next day, he resumed his tirade in front of the Senate, calling Mbappé a "son of a b***h." He then published an "open letter" accusing him of "gender-based violence and political violence against women" and threatening legal action. In a press conference, he concluded with a warning that drew both astonishment and laughter: "Don't mess with Paraguayans, Mbappé; we already put Ronaldinho in jail."
The scandal did not arise in a vacuum: before the match, the former Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert had already stated that his team would not face France but rather "a team from Africa," referring to the ethnic diversity of the French squad. Meanwhile, Mbappé continues in the tournament: with seven goals, he shares the lead in the Golden Boot race with Messi and Haaland, and France faces Morocco this Thursday in the quarter-finals in Boston.
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