French prosecutors open investigation
The row between Kylian Mbappé and Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla has moved beyond football and into the legal arena.
The controversy began after France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay in the World Cup round of 16, when Amarilla posted racist comments about the France captain on X.
According to AP, French prosecutors have opened an investigation into aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred or violence after the French Football Federation filed a complaint.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said the remarks were allegedly made because of Mbappé’s actual or perceived origin, ethnicity, nationality, race or religion.
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Mbappé hits back
Amarilla’s posts targeted Mbappé’s background, appearance and identity. According to ABC Color, she described him as a “colonized Cameroonian” who was “pretending hard to be French”, among other insults.
Mbappé responded strongly on X, calling Amarilla a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy” of her office.
According to NBC New York, he also wrote: “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.”
His response drew support from French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron and sports minister Marina Ferrari.
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Senator denies racism
Amarilla has since deleted the original post and partly expressed regret for her wording, but she has denied being racist.
According to ABC Color, she defended herself by saying her remarks were “the language of the street, the people, football”.
“I hate injustice, nonsense, stupidity, discrimination,” she said. “I do not hate the French or Africans, I do not have the racism they accuse me of.”
She also claimed the dispute was personal and not directed at France as a country.
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Counterclaim threat
The case then took another turn when Amarilla demanded an apology from Mbappé.
According to Punch, Amarilla accused Mbappé of “gender-based violence” and “political violence against a woman” because of the words he used in his reply.
She wrote: “Retract your statements, honour your French citizenship, and apologise. Otherwise, I may pursue legal action for gender-based violence.”
In an interview cited by ABC Color, Amarilla also said: “I can sue Mbappé for violence against women, it is pure and hard political violence.”
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She added that she had not decided whether to proceed, saying: “It is not a threat, I do not know if I will do it, but I perfectly can do it.”
Paraguay distances itself
The Paraguayan government has distanced itself from Amarilla’s remarks.
According to ABC Color, Paraguay’s foreign ministry rejected the senator’s comments and said they were contrary to the values of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity.
The government also stressed that Amarilla’s comments do not represent the position of Paraguay or its people.
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For the FFF, the issue is now in the hands of prosecutors. For Amarilla, the controversy has become a political and personal fight with one of football’s biggest stars.
What began as a reaction to Paraguay’s World Cup elimination has now become a legal and diplomatic dispute stretching from Paris to Asunción.
