A Paraguayan senator, Celeste Amarilla, has demanded a public apology from France captain Kylian Mbappé, threatening legal action after the football star described her as “a despicable woman” following a racist controversy at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Key Highlight:
- Celeste Amarilla has demanded a public apology from Kylian Mbappé, threatening legal action over comments he made following a World Cup controversy.
- Amarilla said Mbappé should retract his remarks, which called her “a despicable woman,” or face possible legal proceedings for alleged gender-based and political violence.
- The dispute arose after 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between France and Paraguay, where Mbappé scored the winning penalty.
- Amarilla admitted deleting her own social media post, acknowledging it contained unacceptable insults, but insisted Mbappé’s response was also inappropriate.
- The controversy began after Amarilla referred to Mbappé as “a colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French,” comments widely condemned as racist, prompting Mbappé to accuse her of “brazen racism.”
Amarilla made the demand in an open letter released on Tuesday, insisting that Mbappé retract his remarks or face possible legal proceedings for what she described as “gender-based violence” and “political violence against a woman.”
The dispute followed France’s Round of 16 victory over Paraguay at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Mbappé scored the decisive penalty to send the French side into the quarter-finals.
In the letter, Amarilla stressed that her disagreement was with Mbappé and not France, describing herself as an admirer of the European country and its culture.
“The problem is between you and me. I have never said anything against France. On the contrary, I stand with France,” she wrote.
The senator accused Mbappé of showing arrogance before and during the match, alleging that he treated Paraguayan players with contempt and ignored goalkeeper Orlando Gill after the final whistle.
She claimed the France captain refused to shake Gill’s hand and celebrated the victory in front of the goalkeeper.
Amarilla admitted that her earlier social media comments were written “in the heat of the moment” and said she later deleted them after realising she had responded with insults she considered unacceptable.
“I immediately regretted responding to you with the same insults that I myself receive. I realised I was repeating the very behaviour I despise, so I deleted the post,” she said.
However, she argued that Mbappé’s response, in which he called her “a despicable woman” unworthy of holding public office, was equally unacceptable.
“I am a senator of the Paraguayan nation, elected by the people. Who are you to call me unworthy or despicable when you do not even know me?” she asked.
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She demanded that Mbappé withdraw his comments and apologise.
“Retract your statements, honour your French citizenship, and apologise. Otherwise, I may pursue legal action for gender-based violence,” Amarilla said.
The controversy erupted after videos circulated showing a tense exchange at the end of the match. Gill later said he had attempted to shake Mbappé’s hand but lost his temper after being ignored.
“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper,” Gill said.
Before Mbappé’s response, Amarilla had described the France captain on social media as “a colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French,” remarks that triggered widespread condemnation for their racist undertones.
Mbappé responded on X by accusing the senator of “brazen racism” and describing her as “a despicable woman.”
