France captain Kylian Mbappé and Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla have become embroiled in a social media feud after France’s Round of 16 World Cup victory over Paraguay on Saturday. Following Mbappé’s winning penalty, Amarilla posted a series of racist comments on X targeting his appearance and upbringing, calling him a “brute” who had not learned to write.
On Monday, Mbappé took to X and called her a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy” of serving in Paraguay’s Congress, saying her “brazen racism” had overshadowed Paraguay’s historic World Cup campaign. Amarilla later deleted the posts and issued an open letter expressing regret over the insults, insisting her criticism was directed at Mbappé rather than France. She also demanded an apology from the footballer, accusing him of gender-based violence in his remarks and threatening legal action if he did not retract them.
The row has since escalated beyond social media. According to a statement obtained by Reuters, the Paraguayan government distanced itself from Amarilla’s comments, saying they were contrary to the country’s values and did not represent either the government or its people. The French Football Federation also described the remarks as “utterly abhorrent” and “unacceptable”, confirming it would file a criminal complaint, while the office of Emmanuel Macron said Paraguay’s president had written to express support and condemn the incident.