Overview
- France beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday when Kylian Mbappé scored the winning penalty and later declined to shake Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
- Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla posted and then deleted messages on X that included racial slurs directed at Mbappé and provocative calls about the match.
- Mbappé publicly called Amarilla “despreciable” and “indigna de su cargo” in a response that said she did not represent Paraguay.
- FIFA and French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the senator’s language, the Fédération Française de Football called the posts criminal and said it will file a complaint, and Paraguay’s government said the remarks reflect only the senator’s personal responsibility.
- Amarilla has since published a public letter demanding Mbappé retract his insult and threatening legal action for gender-based violence, so the dispute now risks parallel judicial and disciplinary follow-ups and diplomatic strain.