"You are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position." Kylian Mbappé doesn't often go on the offensive off the pitch, but Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla gave him no choice.
After France eliminated Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia on Saturday — Mbappé's penalty the only goal in a fractious, ill-tempered match — Amarilla took to X with a slur-laden tirade, describing the France captain as a "colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French" and a "brute" who hadn't learned to write. She suggested Paraguay's players should have slapped him after the game.
Mbappé's response landed harder than the penalty
He didn't just defend himself. He defended the Paraguayan players she was supposedly standing up for — which was the sharpest cut of all.
"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," Mbappé wrote. "Making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country."
He's right. Whatever anyone thought of Saturday's match — and it was feisty, physical, and contentious — Paraguay had every reason to hold their heads up after their World Cup run. Amarilla torched that narrative in a single post.
The French Football Federation isn't letting it sit either. The FFF announced it's filing criminal charges, calling the remarks "utterly abhorrent and unacceptable" and stating it's "reporting the matter to the public prosecutor's office with a view to legal proceedings." Under French law, racist public statements are a criminal offence. This could have real legal consequences for a sitting senator.
France march on to the quarter-finals
On the pitch, France are through and likely to be among the shorter-priced sides as the tournament enters its knockout stages. Mbappé's penalty was his only meaningful contribution in a scrappy game — but one goal was enough. That efficiency, even in an off-night performance, is why France's odds of going deep remain among the lowest in the draw.
As for Amarilla: "I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world." Mbappé said it. The FFF is now making sure it's legally backed up.
