The government of Paraguay condemned on Monday July 6 the racist remarks made by an opposition senator against the captain of the French football team Kylian Mbappé. “The words of Senator Celeste Amarilla (…) are contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country promotes,” indicates a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They “relate exclusively to the exercise of individual responsibility” and “in no way represent the position of the government of the Republic of Paraguay nor of the Paraguayan people”, it is added. Aged 61, member of the Liberal Party, the leading minority opposition party, Celeste Amarilla has, on several occasions, been at the center of controversies in Paraguayan politics.
After Paraguay’s defeat against France (1-0) in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, Celeste Amarilla violently attacked the superstar of the Blues, calling him “an idiot” having “not even learned to write”, or even a “Cameroonian from colonization, desperately trying to pass for a Frenchman”. Comments condemned by many French political leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron who deplored “racist attacks”.
Kylian Mbappé himself took it upon himself to respond to the senator, considering her “a contemptible woman unworthy of her position”. “I will never give people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism throughout the world,” he added.
