France forward Kylian Mbappe has publicly condemned Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla after she posted remarks on X mocking his origin and education following Paraguay's defeat to France in the last 16 of the World Cup. Mbappe called Amarilla "despicable" and said she was unworthy of public office, accusing her of damaging Paraguay's image and promoting hatred and racism.
In his response, Mbappe said Amarilla did not represent Paraguay and argued that her comments had overshadowed what he described as the passion, honor and historic effort of the Paraguayan team during the tournament. He added that he would not allow people like her to spread racist abuse. The exchange came after Mbappe scored the winning penalty in the second half of Saturday's match, sending France into a quarter-final against Morocco in Boston.
The controversy also followed remarks made before the match by former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, who said Paraguay were facing "a squad from Africa." French football federation president Philippe Diallo strongly criticized those comments, calling Chilavert a disgrace and saying the remarks ran against the values of respect, fraternity and diversity in football.
On the field, Mbappe has remained one of the tournament's standout performers. His goal against Paraguay took him to seven in this year's World Cup, leaving him level with Lionel Messi of Argentina and Erling Haaland of Norway as the competition's joint top scorer. The incident nevertheless shifted attention away from the match itself and toward a wider debate over racism and representation in international football.