Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla Renews Verbal Onslaught Against France Captain Kylian Mbappe

Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla has once again launched a scathing attack on France's captain, Kylian Mbappé, further escalating a dispute that has drawn global criticism and triggered a criminal investigation in France. Amarilla, who previously faced backlash for making racist comments about the French football star following Paraguay's 1-0 loss to France in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16, has refused to retract her statements. In her latest remarks, she hurled fresh insults at Mbappé, maintaining that she had done nothing wrong.

This recent outburst from the senator comes just days after Mbappé publicly condemned her actions. He accused her of "brazen racism" and stated that she had tarnished Paraguay's reputation by overshadowing the national team's historic World Cup performance. The South American squad had faced severe criticism for their aggressive tactics during the Round of 16 match against France, with many accusing them of repeatedly overstepping boundaries to disrupt their opponents. They were widely criticized for consistent fouls, alleged simulation, and overly aggressive conduct aimed at provocation throughout the encounter.

Mbappé, who secured the game's only goal from a penalty kick, was accused by Paraguay's goalkeeper, Orlando Gill, of refusing to shake his hand during the heated match. This alleged incident reportedly infuriated Amarilla. Addressing the Senate on Wednesday, as reported by RMC Sport, she declared: "'When Orlando Gill, a young man who was probably setting foot in the World Cup for the first time, who was probably discovering Europe for the first time, was playing in front of the whole world and extended his hand with all the humility of a Paraguayan, this son of a bitch refused to shake his hand and shouted in his face.'" She continued, "'That is not French. A Frenchman would never have done that. France is Jean-Jacques Rousseau, René Descartes, Montesquieu, Victor Hugo, Simone de Beauvoir, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. 'I refuse to reduce all of this immense France, as well as its immense cultural, artistic and democratic heritage, to Mbappe.'"

In a previous vile post on the social media platform X after the match, Amarilla had written: "'This brute hasn't even learned to write'" before directing racist insults at the superstar. She also added, "'You should've shown him the finger, Orlando Gill; I do it in the senate and nothing happens!!!'" In a separate post, Amarilla described Mbappé as "'pretending hard to be French, resentful, newly rich, arrogant, and ugly'." She further claimed, "'He was nervous and scared to death the whole match, like his entire team; they couldn't even score a goal, they won by a fluke...'" Concluding her remarks, she stated, "'The only thing many of us demanded of the Albirroja is not to have slapped him open-handed after the match ended. And that's despite not being a soccer fan.'" Since Paraguay's controversial World Cup exit, some fans of the national team have been filmed publicly burning effigies of the French star.