‘Son of ab***’: Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla launches fresh attack on Kylian Mbappe, refuses to back down in racist row

Kylian Mbappe and Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla (AP Photos) Paraguay senator Celeste Amarilla has escalated her bitter row with France captain Kylian Mbappe, launching a fresh verbal attack on the World Cup winners and refusing to apologize for racist remarks that drew widespread international condemnation.A Paraguayan opposition lawmaker who previously described Mbappe as a “colonized Cameroonian” has now branded the Real Madrid forward a “son of a***” and accused him of disrespecting Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill following France’s 1-0 win at the FIFA World Cup round of 16.The controversy became one of the biggest off-pitch discussions of the tournament, with Mbappe, the French authorities, FIFA and United Nations officials all weighing in as the war of words intensified ahead of France’s quarter-final clash with Morocco.

Amarilla doubles down on explosives charges

Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Amarilla showed no signs of backing down from his earlier comments, insisting Mbappe deserved criticism for refusing to shake Gill’s hand after the final whistle.“When Orlando Gill, a boy who certainly stood in the World Cup for the first time, the first time in Europe, played in front of the world and held out his hand with all the humility of Paraguay, and this son of an ab***a refused to shake his hand and screamed in his face, that’s not French. A French would never do that,” Amarilla quoted Marcao as saying.The senator then contrasted Mbappe’s alleged behavior with what she described as France’s cultural heritage.“France is Rousseau, Descartes, Montesquieu, Victor Hugo, Simone de Beauvoir, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. I refuse to reduce the whole of great France and that huge cultural, artistic and democratic heritage to Mbappe,” she said.Amarilla also mocked the French superstar, referencing an open letter she wrote in both French and Spanish.“What would I say to Mbappe now? That he should read my letter. I wrote it in French and Spanish. Let him read my letter if he knows how to read.”She went on to warn the striker not to “play with Paraguayans” and referred to the detention of Brazilian great Ronaldinho in Paraguay in 2020, before threatening legal action against Mbappe over what she described as gender and political violence.Meanwhile, Paraguayan President Santiago Pena distanced himself from the senator’s comments, reiterating that his government opposes “all forms of discrimination” and remains committed to defending human rights and freedom of expression.

How the Mbappe-Amarilla feud got heated

The public clash began after France eliminated Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16.Soon after the match, Amarilla sparked outrage by calling Mbappe a “colonized Cameroonian” who “pretended to be French”, while describing him as “bitter, rich, arrogant and ugly”. She went on to claim that France won “by accident” and claimed that Mbappe and his teammates looked nervous during the contest.Mbappe responded on social media, calling Amarilla a “despicable woman” who was “not worthy of her position”, prompting the senator to step up his rhetoric rather than apologise.The French Football Federation, French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemned Amarilla’s initial remarks, while the United Nations Human Rights Office called them “racist and dehumanizing”, urging governments, sports bodies and public officials to take stronger action against racism and hate speech in sport.

“Kylian is in a good place mentally”

Despite the growing controversy, France coach Didier Deschamps insisted his captain was not affected by the issue ahead of the quarter-finals.“Kylian is fine mentally. He is ready for tomorrow,” Deschamps said, making it clear Mbappe remains focused on France’s quest for another World Cup despite the storm raging off the pitch.