Paraguayan Senator, Celeste Amarilla, has demanded that France captain, Kylian Mbappe, retract remarks describing her as “despicable” and apologise or face possible legal action, escalating a dispute that began after their countries met at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, Amarilla accused Mbappe of “gender-based violence” and “political violence against a woman” over comments he made after she posted remarks about his African heritage following France’s Round of 16 victory over Paraguay.
Amarilla seeks apology
Amarilla said her disagreement was with Mbappe and not France, describing herself as a longtime admirer of the country.
“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 Mbappe of displaying arrogance before and during the match, alleging that his behaviour towards Paraguayan players and goalkeeper Orlando Gill offended the South American nation.
She claimed the France forward showed “contempt” for Paraguay’s players, refused to shake Gill’s hand after the match and celebrated the victory in front of the goalkeeper.
Amarilla acknowledged that her earlier social media posts were written “in the heat of the moment” and said she later deleted them.
“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 wrote.
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Despite that, she maintained that Mbappe’s response was 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 said.
She concluded the letter by urging the France captain to withdraw his comments, stating, “Retract your statements, honour your French citizenship, and apologise. Otherwise, I may pursue legal action for gender-based violence.”
Background
The dispute began after Mbappe scored the winning penalty to send France into the World Cup quarter-finals at Paraguay’s expense.
Following the final whistle, videos circulated appearing to show Mbappe walking past an attempted handshake from Paraguay goalkeeper, Orlando Gill, who later admitted losing his temper.
“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper,” Gill said.
Reacting to a video of Gill discussing the incident, Amarilla described Mbappe as “a colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French,” remarks that drew widespread criticism.
Mbappe, Macron and FIFA respond
Mbappe responded on Monday in a post on his X account, describing Amarilla as “a despicable woman” and accusing her of “brazen racism.”
The exchange prompted condemnation from French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, both of whom publicly expressed support for the France captain and denounced the senator’s earlier remarks.
