You despise me because I’m a woman: Paraguayan senator demands apology from Mbappe
Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla has demanded a public apology from France captain Kylian Mbappe and warned she may take legal action after the footballer called her a “despicable woman” in response to racist remarks she made following Paraguay’s exit from the World Cup. In a lengthy statement, Amarilla said it had deleted its offensive post after regretting its language, but insisted Mbappe must also withdraw his comments and apologise.
The latest exchange represents a dramatic escalation in the aftermath of France’s round of 16 victory over Paraguay, when social media rifts escalated into threats of legal action and allegations of gender-based political violence.
“The problem is between you and me. I have never said anything against France, on the contrary, I am with you. I studied at a French school from the age of two to seventeen… I speak French and I love visiting France. It has nothing to do with France, the problem is with you,” wrote Amarilla.
She also accused Mbappe of displaying “arrogance and contempt” before, during and after the match, claiming his behavior towards the Paraguayan players and the team’s goalkeeper “hurt my whole country”. Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla demands an apology from Mbappe (Screenshot by X)
The senator acknowledged that her original post was unacceptable and said she deleted it after thinking about her words.
“I regretted mistreating you with the same insults I receive because I am also scorned for being mixed race and Latina…I realized I was repeating patterns I hate and deleted the post,” she wrote. However, Amarilla added, “I now ask that you also retract your statement and apologize to me. I will not tolerate your violence either.”
The row began after Amarilla responded to France’s World Cup victory by posting racist comments targeting Mbappe’s race, nationality and appearance. She referred to the France captain as a “colonized Cameroonian” who “pretended hard to be French” and claimed that France had won “by accident”.
Mbappe responded by describing Amarilla as a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy” to serve in the Paraguayan Congress, prompting the senator’s latest response. Mbappe condemns racist remarks by Paraguayan senator via social media post (Photo Screengrab from X)
AMARILLA ACCUSES MBAPPE OF GENDER VIOLENCE
In the second half of her statement, Amarilla defended her democratic mandate, arguing that Mbappe had no right to question her fitness for public office. She emphasized that she was elected by the Paraguayan people and said his remarks were an attack on both her position and her gender.
“Who are you to call me unworthy or despicable when you don’t even know me? Pure and simple gender violence! Political violence against a woman who got where she is by the popular vote of her people. You despise me precisely because of my gender; you insult me precisely because I am a woman,” wrote Amarilla.
She concluded by calling on Mbappe to “respect his French citizenship” by apologizing and retracting his remarks, warning that if he did not, she could take legal action for what she described as gender-based political violence. Mbappe has not publicly responded to her latest statement.
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Published on:
Jul 7, 2026 1:16 PM IST