Mbappe blasts Paraguayan senator's racist remarks as 'vile'

Kylian Mbappe, France's star striker at the 2026 North America World Cup, has lashed out at a Paraguayan senator over racist remarks directed at him.

Mbappe took to his X account Tuesday to denounce Sen. Celeste Amarilla of Paraguay's Authentic Radical Liberal Party as "a vile woman unworthy of her position."

"You do not deserve to represent Paraguay, a country that showed passion and honor at this tournament," he wrote. "Your racism has made the world forget the journey Paraguay's players achieved and instead remember an incompetent woman who has done the worst possible damage to her country's image."

He added that he would "never allow people like you to spread hate and racism across the world."

Amarilla had unleashed a torrent of racist abuse on social media after Paraguay lost to France in the round of 16 at Philadelphia Stadium on Sunday. She wrote that Mbappe was "a beast who never even learned to write."

She also wrote that he "sucked on coconuts instead of breast milk" and that "the smartest being he probably knows is a chimpanzee," and called him "a Cameroonian colonial pretending to be French."

She also called him "arrogant and ugly" and wrote that "the reason many people are criticizing Paraguay's players is that they didn't slap Mbappe after the match."

France beat Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16 at Philadelphia Stadium on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals. Mbappe scored the winning goal from the penalty spot.

The match was tense throughout, with sharp exchanges between the two sides. After the final whistle, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gil extended his hand for a handshake, but Mbappe ignored him — prompting Gil to throw a ball at Mbappe and hit him in the back.

Amarilla's remarks, apparently made in sympathy with that friction, drew no support even within Paraguay.

The Paraguayan government distanced itself from Amarilla's comments, saying they were "contrary to the values and principles of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country upholds."

The French government responded swiftly. Sports Minister Marina Ferrari said targeting Mbappe "is an attack on all the values our team captain embodies and on the liberty, equality and fraternity that France stands for."

The French Football Federation called the remarks "completely odious and unacceptable" and said it would file a complaint with French judicial authorities.