The French Football Federation (FFF) has announced its intention to file a lawsuit against Paraguayan Senator Madame Celeste Amarilla following a series of racist remarks she made targeting France striker Kylian Mbappe. The FFF condemned Amarilla’s comments as “utterly abhorrent and unacceptable,” vowing to pursue judicial action.

The controversy erupted in the aftermath of France’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the World Cup Round of 16. Mbappe, who has been in scintillating form with seven goals in five games at the tournament, scored the decisive winning goal from the penalty spot. The match itself was characterized by a physical approach from Paraguay, with players reportedly attempting to provoke Mbappe throughout. A post-match incident saw Mbappe refuse to shake hands with Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who then reacted by striking the French captain with the ball.

Senator’s inflammatory comments

Senator Amarilla’s comments, shared across social media platforms including X and Instagram, escalated the situation significantly. Her remarks were widely condemned for their racist and derogatory nature. On Instagram, Amarilla wrote: “Cameroonian, colonised, pretending hard to be French, bitter, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly. He was nervous and terrified the whole match, like his entire team — they couldn’t score a single goal, they won because of sh*t… The only thing many of us are complaining about with Albirroja is not having given him a slap across the face after the match ended. And I’m not even a football fan.”

FFF and Mbappe respond forcefully

The FFF wasted no time in responding to the senator’s statements. In a strong declaration on X, the federation stated: “The racist remarks by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla targeting Kylian Mbappé are utterly abhorrent and unacceptable. How can anyone make such statements? These remarks are criminal and reprehensible. They must be prosecuted here as elsewhere. The FFF is filing a report with the prosecutor’s office for the purpose of judicial action.” The FFF further extended its full support to Mbappe and all victims of such “odious remarks,” reaffirming its commitment to fighting racism and discrimination.

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Mbappe himself issued a powerful personal statement in response to Amarilla. “You are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honor throughout the competition. Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort that your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country. I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world,” Mbappe wrote on his account.

France’s victory over Paraguay secured their place in the World Cup quarter-finals, where they are set to face Morocco on Thursday, July 9th. The FFF’s swift legal action underscores a firm stance against racism in football, even as the team continues its pursuit of international glory.

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