World Cup Racism Row: France FA Chief Slams Chilavert's 'African Squad' Comment

The President of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, has strongly condemned remarks made by Paraguayan football icon José Luis Chilavert, labelling them as racist and utterly disgraceful. Chilavert's controversial comments came just before France's Round of 16 match at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 60-year-old former goalkeeper ignited a social media storm after stating that Paraguay would be facing "a squad from Africa" instead of France. This comment was reportedly made in response to previous remarks he attributed to former France striker Christophe Dugarry. Chilavert wrote, "Christophe, you're right. In 1998 we faced the French and now PY will face a squad from Africa." This statement harked back to the 1998 World Cup, where France famously defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 en route to clinching the tournament title.

Reacting swiftly to the post, Diallo released a strongly worded statement on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his disapproval of Chilavert's remarks. He declared, “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the racist remarks made by José Luis Chilavert against the French national team, which undermine the values of respect, fraternity, and diversity in our football.”

Meanwhile, France successfully progressed to the quarter-finals after a 1-0 victory over the Paraguay national football team in their Round of 16 encounter. The lone goal came from a Kylian Mbappé penalty, awarded after a lengthy VAR review confirmed a foul by Diego Gómez on Désiré Doué. The match itself was characterized by numerous aggressive challenges from the Paraguayan side, yet surprisingly, no yellow cards were issued despite repeated fouls on French players.

Former England goalkeeper and BBC Sport pundit, Joe Hart, described Paraguay's physical approach during the game as "disgraceful." Post-match, France coach Didier Deschamps was observed guiding Kylian Mbappé away from a potential confrontation. France is now set to clash with the Morocco national football team in the quarter-finals, following Morocco's impressive 3-0 triumph over Canada.