Kylian Mbappe has launched a fierce rebuke against Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla following a series of racist social media posts directed at the France captain.
The Real Madrid forward branded the politician "a despicable woman and unworthy of your position" in a statement published on X this evening.
Amarilla, who represents Paraguay's Liberal Radical Party, targeted Mbappe with offensive remarks after France eliminated her country from the World Cup on Saturday.
In his response, Mbappe wrote: "You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honor throughout the competition."
Kylian Mbappe furiously hit back at racist posts directed at him by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla
|REUTERS
The 27-year-old accused the senator of "brazen racism" and condemned her as "an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country."
He added: "I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
Amarilla's tirade began when she responded to reports that Mbappe had declined a handshake from Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill after the match.
On X, she wrote: "[Mbappe] is so dumb he didn't even learn how to write; instead of mother's milk he was sucking coconuts, and the most educated things he's ever heard were chimpanzees."
The senator continued her attack on Instagram, describing the France captain as a "Cameroonian, colonised, pretending hard to be French, bitter, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly."
She also suggested the Paraguayan squad should have physically confronted Mbappe, stating: "The only thing many of us are complaining about with Albirroja is not having given him a slap across the face after the match ended."
Madame Celeste Amarilla,
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) July 6, 2026
Vous êtes une femme méprisable et indigne de sa fonction.
Vous ne représentez pas le Paraguay, ce pays qui a transpiré la passion et l’honneur tout au long de la compétition. Par votre inconscience et votre racisme décomplexé, le monde entier a déjà… pic.twitter.com/EnYmgQXvPL
Amarilla boasted that she makes offensive gestures in the Senate without consequence.
The French Football Federation swiftly backed its captain with a strongly worded statement of its own.
The governing body announced it would pursue legal action against the senator, declaring her comments "utterly vile and unacceptable."
"These statements are criminal and condemnable. They must be prosecuted here and everywhere," the FFF stated.
The federation confirmed it is filing a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office to initiate judicial proceedings.
Officials expressed solidarity not only with Mbappe but with all those subjected to such abuse.
"The Federation expresses its full support for its captain, its players and, more broadly, all victims of such hateful statements," the statement read.
The FFF emphasised that attacks on French players constitute insults against the nation itself, adding: "More than ever, the FFF intends to fight racism and all forms of discrimination."
Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal as France beat Paraguay to reach the last 16
|REUTERS
The controversy stems from Saturday's tense last-16 encounter in Philadelphia, which France won through Mbappe's 70th-minute spot kick.
Paraguay employed aggressive defensive tactics throughout the fixture, with their players repeatedly attempting to unsettle the French talisman.
Tensions spilled over at the final whistle when Gill hurled a ball at Mbappe's back after the forward apparently ignored his handshake attempt.
Mbappe's goal took his tournament tally to seven, placing him level with Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland as joint top scorers at this summer's competition.
France will now face Morocco in the quarter-finals in Boston on Thursday.
The row follows earlier controversial remarks from former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, who described the French squad as "a squad from Africa" before Saturday's match.