Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla has demanded a public apology from France captain Kylian Mbappe and warned she could take legal action after the footballer called her a “despicable woman” over racist comments he made following Paraguay’s withdrawal from the FIFA World Cup.The dispute began when Amarilla made offensive comments on social media after France’s last-16 win over Paraguay, calling Mbappe a “colonized Cameroonian” who “works hard to pretend he is French, full of resentment, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly”. She also claimed that France “won by fluke and Mbappe was nervous and scared to death the whole game, just like his whole team.”
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Mbappe responded by calling Amarilla “a despicable woman” who “doesn’t deserve” to serve in Paraguay’s Congress.Amarilla has now issued a lengthy response to X, insisting her criticism was directed only at Mbappe and not France, a country she said she has admired throughout her life.“The problem is between you and me. I have never said anything against France; on the contrary, I stand with you. I studied in a French school from the age of two to seventeen and completed my studies there. Thanks to the Academy of Innocence in Concepcion, I am here because of the education it gave me. We sang the Marseillaise and saluted the French flag with our own flag. I speak French and I love visiting France. I spent the last Christmas with my family in Courchevel and then welcomed the New Year in Saint-Tropez. This has nothing to do with France; the problem is with you,” Amarilla wrote.The senator accused Mbappe of disrespecting Paraguay before and during the World Cup, noting that she found the comments insulting.“Your arrogance and disdain has been upsetting to me ever since before the game when you said ‘If we have to get our hands dirty, let’s get our hands dirty.’ We are not stupid; we know very well that the dirty stuff is Paraguay and we are all Paraguay.” Then you say they want to remove their makeup. We also understand that you look so elegant with makeup, and we, poor and rough, don’t even know what that is. All of Paraguay fell silent, myself included. We took it away,” she added.Amarilla also claimed that Mbappe showed poor sportsmanship during and after the game.“Your arrogant behavior during the game was clear, your contempt for every player as if they were disgusting, you didn’t even cover your mouth when you said ‘La concha de tu madre’, which is a very offensive phrase in Latin America and you know it.”She further claimed Mbappe showed no respect to the Paraguayan goalkeeper after the final whistle.“Finally, you disregarded the health of our goalkeeper, which is simply unacceptable. After the game, the respect between opponents is almost sacred, in war or in peace, in defeat or victory, and instead of shaking his hand, you shouted your victory in his face, which is simply unacceptable. You showed your contempt, your arrogance and your vulgarity in a single moment.” This hurts me and deeply hurts my entire country. France should hold you accountable because it is a country of knights with hundreds of years of history and expertise. France should hold you accountable for your actions,” she wrote.Amarilla admitted that she deleted the original post after reflecting on the language she used.“My posts are filled with boiling blood, that mestizo blood, that beautiful blend of indigenous and Spanish blood that flows in my veins. This is the post I wrote today when you mocked those great Paraguayan players who fought as equals until the end of the game. However, I immediately regretted using the same insults against you because I too was looked down upon and called dirty for being mixed race and Latina. I regretted it and deleted the post. I realized I was repeating a pattern I hated, so I deleted it. I know it bothers you because it’s a shame,” she said.Despite this admission, the senator insisted that Mbappe must also retract his remarks.“Now, I ask that you also retract your words and apologize to me. Nor will I tolerate your violence. You don’t know me, you don’t know who I am, and you have no right to say that I am a despicable woman and unworthy of the position I hold. I am a senator of the country of Paraguay, elected by the people. Before that, I was a representative of the country, also elected by the people. Thousands of Paraguayans voted for me and considered me their voice. My first commitment is to be the voice of the Paraguayan people, to fight against their silence and to defend my country with my life. This is what is expected of me,” Amarilla wrote.She continues to defend her democratic mission.“I represent my country because I was elected in a free election. I was freely elected to make laws and speak for the country. You have no idea what it means to be elected to defend your country and be the voice of the people. I was elected to the State Senate; I wonder if you realize the importance of my position. “Amarilla ended her statement by accusing Mbappe of political and gender-based violence and warning that she would consider legal action if he did not apologize.“Who are you to call me unworthy or despicable without even knowing me?! Pure gender violence! Political violence against a woman who got where she is today through popular suffrage. You despise me precisely because of my gender; you offend me precisely because I am a woman . You are not attacking my skin color, my preferences, my status as a woman or my political stance. Retract your statement against me, respect your French citizenship, and apologize or I may take legal action over gender violence,” Amarilla concluded.
