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France captain Kylian Mbappe has condemned racist comments from a Paraguayan senator who called him a 'colonised Cameroonian' after his penalty knocked Paraguay out of the World Cup. Mbappe hit back, calling Celeste Amarilla 'a despicable woman.' The French Football Federation (FFF) said it will file a report with the prosecutor's office for judicial action against Amarilla.
Coverage Comparison
Reports from Al Jazeera detail the incident that unfolded after France's 1-0 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, a match in which Mbappe's penalty proved decisive, sending France to the quarterfinals. Amarilla, a senator from the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, posted a series of racist comments on X, mocking Mbappe's Cameroonian roots, upbringing, appearance, and education. She described him as a 'colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French' and as a 'brute' who had not learned to write, and suggested Paraguay's players should have slapped him after the match.
Mbappe responded with a strongly worded statement on social media, defending not only himself but also the Paraguay players. "Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition," he wrote. "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, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country. I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
The FFF termed Amarilla's tirade "utterly abhorrent and unacceptable" and said it backed Mbappe, the French players, and "all victims of such odious remarks."
Key Claims
- Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla called Kylian Mbappe a 'colonised Cameroonian' after his penalty helped France knock out Paraguay from the World Cup.
- Mbappe responded to Amarilla's comments on social media, calling her a 'despicable woman'.
- The French Football Federation (FFF) will file a report with the prosecutor's office for judicial action against Amarilla.
- Mbappe's penalty helped France knock out Paraguay from the World Cup; France won 1-0 in Philadelphia on Saturday to advance to the quarterfinals.
- Following backlash, Amarilla posted an open letter in French and Spanish addressing Mbappe, saying she had deleted her posts and that she regretted using "the same insults" she herself has received as a mixed-race person.
- Amarilla accused Mbappe of "gender-based violence" against her in his response to her insults and has demanded an apology and threatened legal action.