BY AGENCY: World-renowned football star Kylian Mbappé, 28, strongly condemned Celeste Amarilla (62), a Paraguayan senator who hurled racist remarks at him.

Mbappé stated on his social media on July 7, “You are an incompetent woman who has planted the worst image of Paraguay in the world,” adding, “I will never allow people like you to spread hatred and racism across the globe.”

The controversy began during the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between France and Paraguay on July 5.

Paraguay engaged in frequent rough tackles, fouls, and verbal abuse against French players.

Mbappé, who led France to a 1-0 victory, criticized Paraguay’s “dirty football” after the match, stating, “Paraguay had no intention of playing football. We could have played dirty football too.”

In response, Senator Amarilla, a member of the opposition True Radical Liberal Party, flooded Mbappé’s social media with racist insults, calling him a “Cameroonian of colonial origin trying to pass as French” and an “uncivilized savage who hasn’t even learned to write.”

Upon seeing this, Mbappé posted Amarilla’s photo on social media and criticized her sharply.

He stated, “Due to your recklessness and blatant racism, the world has already forgotten the historic efforts Paraguay’s players achieved in the World Cup,” and announced plans to file a complaint with French judicial authorities.

The French Football Federation also supported Mbappé, releasing a statement: “It is extremely disgusting and unacceptable. Such remarks are criminal and deserve condemnation.”

The Paraguayan government has moved to contain the backlash.

On the same day, Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified, “Senator Amarilla does not represent the Paraguayan government or its people in any way,” and drew a line, stating, “Her remarks targeting Mbappé contradict our values and principles of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity.”

Amarilla, a lawyer-turned-politician elected in the 2023 Paraguayan general election, demanded an apology from Mbappé. She claimed, “Your pre-match remarks, ‘We need to put our hands in the cesspool. Let’s go and confront them,’ infuriated me. We are not fools. We fully understood that ‘cesspool’ referred to the Paraguayan national team,” arguing that Mbappé made discriminatory remarks first.