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Kylian Mbappé took to social media to condemn racist remarks made by a Paraguayan senator following the country’s loss to France in the round of 16 at the World Cup.
Mbappé called Celeste Amarilla, a senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy” of serving in Paraguay’s Congress.
“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,” Mbappé wrote on X.
“You do not represent Paraguay, the country that has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition.”
Amarilla racially abused Mbappe and in another post called him a “colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French, embittered, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly”, and accused him of being “scared to death” during the game.
The comments have provoked an angry reaction in France, with the country’s sports minister, Marina Ferrari, describing them as “abject, disgraceful and all the more unacceptable coming from a politician”.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the “racist attacks” directed at the France captain.
“The President of the Republic stands with Kylian Mbappe and the French team in the face of the racist attacks directed at the Bleus’ captain,” the Elysee Palace said.
The Paraguayan government released a statement Monday afternoon denouncing Amarilla’s remarks as “contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country promotes.” It added that the senator’s comments do not represent either the Paraguayan government or the Paraguayan people.
Late Monday, Amarilla issued an open letter in French and Spanish to Mbappé on social media, in which she said her problem was with the player, not the country of France. She wrote that she regretted mistreating Mbappé with “the same insults” she’s received as a mixed-race person and that she had deleted her post.
But she also demanded an apology from Mbappé, accusing him of gender-based violence in his comments about her, and threatening legal action if he didn’t retract them.
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, also chimed in, writing “all of football and society stand in solidarity with the France captain — we need to fight racism and defeat it all together,” in a statement on Instagram.
Additional sources • AP, AFP