Mbappé Hits Back at Senator’s Abuse
France captain Kylian Mbappé has issued a scathing condemnation of Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, labelling her “an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country” after she directed racist remarks at the striker on social media.
The 27-year-old, who currently leads the 2026 World Cup goalscoring charts, published a statement on X two days after scoring the decisive goal in France’s last-16 victory over Paraguay. His calmly-converted 70th-minute penalty in Philadelphia secured a 1-0 win that sent Les Bleus into the quarter-finals and eliminated the Albirroja.
Senator’s Remarks Spark Outrage
Amarilla posted a series of inflammatory messages following the final whistle, in which she described Mbappé as “a colonised Cameroonian passing himself off as French” and an illiterate “brute”. The comments drew immediate criticism across the football community and prompted the France skipper to defend his position.
“You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition,” Mbappé wrote. He argued that her conduct had unfairly overshadowed the achievements of the Paraguayan team, stating: “Through your recklessness and brazen racism, the whole 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.”
Forward Vows to Combat Racism
Mbappé concluded his response by pledging to confront discrimination in the sport. “I’ll never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world,” he stated.
The incident has marred what was a tense knockout stage encounter. Mbappé, who shares the Golden Boot lead with Norway’s Erling Haaland and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, emphasised that Paraguay’s players deserved recognition for their historic campaign rather than having their efforts tarnished by political rhetoric.