France Files Criminal Charges After Paraguayan Senator Hurls Racist Insults Towards French Striker Kylian Mbappé Following World Cup Loss

Paraguay’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign ended on Sunday with a 1-0 defeat to France in the round of 16 — a historic run for a country that had not qualified for a World Cup since 2010. Within hours, a Paraguayan senator had posted a series of racist attacks against France’s captain on social media, and within two days, the Paris prosecutor’s office had opened a criminal investigation into the matter.

The incident has consumed international football and regional politics simultaneously — a three-day episode that began with a penalty kick in a World Cup round of 16 and escalated into a criminal probe, a diplomatic statement from Paraguay’s foreign ministry, and a public confrontation between one of the world’s most famous athletes and an elected official in South America.

A Senator’s Reaction Following Loss To France

Celeste Amarilla, a senator from Paraguay’s Authentic Radical Liberal Party, posted a series of messages on X on Saturday targeting Kylian Mbappé following Paraguay’s elimination. In the posts, Amarilla mocked his Cameroonian roots, as well as his upbringing, appearance and education. She also criticized Mbappé for allegedly refusing to shake hands with Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill after the final whistle — a gesture she described as evidence of “arrogance and contempt,” accusing the French striker of not being French.

The posts drew immediate backlash across France and Paraguay. Amarilla later deleted the posts.

Mbappé’s Response

Kylian Mbappé did not let the deletion end the story. In a post on X that included Amarilla’s photo, the French captain wrote directly at the senator.

“Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position,” he wrote. “You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honor throughout the competition. Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country. I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, currently visiting Syria, backed the footballer’s response to the insults. Politicians in France across the political spectrum condemned Amarilla’s original remarks.

Amarilla’s Letter — and Counter-Demand

Following backlash late on Monday, Amarilla posted an open letter in French and Spanish addressing Mbappé. The letter retracted the racial slurs but did not fully concede.

“My posts were written in the heat of the moment,” she said. “My mixed-race blood — the beautiful blend of Indigenous and Spanish heritage that runs through my veins — was boiling. Later, I regretted responding with the same insults that I myself have received, because I too have been looked down upon for being dark-skinned, Latin American and, as they call us, sudacas. I realised I was repeating the very behaviour that I despise, so I deleted the post.”

Having acknowledged the racism, Amarilla then accused Mbappé of “gender-based violence” against her in his response to her insults and demanded an apology — threatening legal action if none was forthcoming. She said her problem was with Mbappé and not with France, explaining that it stemmed from comments he had made before the game and his behavior during it.

Criminal Charges and Paraguay’s Response

The Paris prosecutor’s office told the Associated Press on Tuesday that it launched a probe after the national unit for combating online hate received a complaint from the French Football Federation about aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred or violence by the Paraguay senator.

Paraguay’s government moved quickly to distance itself. “The Government of the Republic of Paraguay condemns and rejects the comments made by senator Amarilla,” a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read. “They are contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity, which our country promotes. The statements made by the aforementioned legislator correspond exclusively to her and in no way represent the position of the Government of the Republic of Paraguay or of the Paraguayan people.”

Politics & Football

The dimension of the story that has drawn the sharpest commentary in Paraguay itself is what Amarilla’s posts did to the memory of the tournament.

Paraguay reached the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years — an achievement celebrated across the country as historic. The team’s run, and the passion it generated at home and in the diaspora, was the story of a small nation punching far above its weight on the world’s biggest stage.

Within hours of elimination, that story had been replaced by one senator’s posts and the international firestorm they produced. Mbappé himself noted this explicitly: through Amarilla’s “recklessness and brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished.”

The beauty and glory of the FIFA World Cup — which the world has the opportunity to experience only once every four years — carries it with it a remarkable value because of its unique rarity. The tournament also serves as a joyous reprieve from the daily politics that seem to divide so many people in our daily lives.

For now, enjoy the one that is here while it lasts, and dream for the next one four years from now....