Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla has escalated her bitter feud with France captain Kylian Mbappe, launching a fresh verbal attack on the World Cup winner and refusing to apologise for the racist remarks that have sparked widespread international condemnation.The Paraguay opposition lawmaker, who earlier described Mbappe as a “colonised Cameroonian,” has now branded the Real Madrid forward a “son of a b***,” accusing him of disrespecting Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill after France’s 1-0 victory in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.The controversy has become one of the biggest off-field talking points of the tournament, with Mbappe, French authorities, FIFA officials and the United Nations all weighing in as the war of words intensified ahead of France’s quarter-final clash against Morocco.
Amarilla doubles down on explosive accusations
Speaking on the Senate floor, Amarilla showed no signs of retreating from her earlier remarks, insisting that Mbappe deserved criticism for allegedly refusing to shake Gill’s hand after the final whistle.“When Orlando Gill, a boy who was surely setting foot in a World Cup for the first time, in Europe for the first time, was playing before the world and extends his hand with all the humility of a Paraguayan, and this son of a b*** refuses to shake his hand and yells in his face, that is not French. A Frenchman would never have done that,” Amarilla was quoted as saying by Marca.The senator then contrasted Mbappe’s alleged behaviour with what she described as France’s cultural legacy.“France is Rousseau, Descartes, Montesquieu, Victor Hugo, Simone de Beauvoir, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. I refuse to reduce all that great France and that enormous cultural, artistic and democratic legacy to Mbappe,” she said.Amarilla also mocked the French superstar while referring to an open letter she had written in both French and Spanish.“What would I say to Mbappe now? That he should read my letter. I wrote it in French and in Spanish. Let him read my letter, if he knows how to read.”She further warned the striker not to “mess with Paraguayans,” invoking the 2020 detention of Brazilian great Ronaldinho in Paraguay before threatening legal action against Mbappe over what she described as gender and political violence.Meanwhile, Paraguayan President Santiago Pena distanced himself from the senator’s comments, reiterating that his government opposes “all kinds of discrimination” and remains committed to defending human rights and free expression.
How the Mbappe-Amarilla feud spiralled
The public clash began after France eliminated Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16.Soon after the match, Amarilla sparked outrage by calling Mbappe a “colonised Cameroonian” who was “pretending to be French,” while also describing him as “embittered, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly.” She further claimed France had won “by a fluke” and alleged that Mbappe and his teammates looked nervous throughout the contest.Mbappe hit back on social media, branding Amarilla “a despicable woman” who was “not worthy of her position,” prompting the senator to intensify her rhetoric rather than apologise.The French Football Federation, French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA President Gianni Infantino all condemned Amarilla’s original remarks, while the United Nations Human Rights Office described them as “racist and dehumanising,” urging governments, sports bodies and public officials to take stronger action against racism and hate speech in sport.
‘Kylian is in a good place mentally’
Despite the growing controversy, France coach Didier Deschamps insisted the issue has not affected his captain ahead of the quarter-finals.“Kylian is in a good place mentally. He’s ready for tomorrow,” Deschamps said, making it clear that Mbappe remains focused on France’s quest for another World Cup title despite the storm raging away from the pitch.
