Kylian Mbappé condemns Paraguayan senator over 'despicable' racist abuse

Kylian Mbappé on Monday labelled Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla "despicable" and "not worthy of her position" after she racially abused the France captain on social media following the World Cup last-16 clash between the countries. Mbappé's reaction came after Amarilla attacked the Real Madrid superstar in the wake of Saturday's game in Philadelphia, a bad-tempered affair which France won 1-0.

"Mrs Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and not worthy of your position," Mbappé wrote on X. "You do not represent Paraguay, the country that has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition. Through your lack of awareness and your uninhibited racism, the entire world has already forgotten your team's run and historic effort at this World Cup," he added.

Amarilla racially abused Mbappé and, in another post, called him a "colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French, embittered, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly", and accused him of being "scared to death" during the game. The comments provoked an angry reaction in France, with sports minister Marina Ferrari describing them as "abject, disgraceful and all the more unacceptable coming from a politician".

Mbappé, whose father was originally from Cameroon, scored the only goal of the game from a penalty in the second half, taking France through to a quarter-final this Thursday against Morocco. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "racist attacks" directed at the captain, with the Élysée Palace stating that "the President of the Republic stands with Kylian Mbappé and the French team". The Paraguayan president and foreign ministry also condemned the remarks, sending letters to Macron.