Overview
- A series of racist posts and repeated insults by Senator Celeste Amarilla targeted France captain Kylian Mbappé after a heated World Cup match in which he scored the winning penalty and did not shake Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
- Mbappé publicly called Amarilla a "despicable woman" and the French Football Federation filed a complaint, prompting Paris prosecutors to open an investigation for alleged aggravated racist abuse that carries possible prison time and fines under French law.
- Amarilla defended her remarks in a Paraguayan Senate session, deleted some posts, later said her Instagram was hacked, and continued to post about Mbappé while also threatening legal action against him.
- Paraguay’s government and the Senate formally rejected and condemned Amarilla’s comments, the United Nations Human Rights Office described the language as dehumanizing, and some Paraguayans have shown hostile public reactions including footage of effigy burnings.
- The dispute now spans legal, diplomatic and political channels in France and Paraguay while Mbappé remains focused on his World Cup campaign and investigators and legislators continue to pursue accountability.