• French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed support for Kylian Mbappé after Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla made racist remarks against the France captain following the World Cup.

• Mbappé responded to the comments by describing Amarilla as “a despicable woman, unworthy of your office” and vowed not to allow racism to spread unchecked.

• The incident has drawn condemnation from French officials and football authorities, with calls for respect, dignity and equality in the fight against racism.

French President Emmanuel Macron has thrown his full support behind Kylian Mbappé after the France captain became the target of racist abuse from Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla following France’s victory over Paraguay at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Taking to X, Macron backed Mbappé saying:

The controversy erupted after France defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16, with Mbappé scoring the winning penalty to send Les Bleus into the quarter-finals.

After the match, Amarilla published a series of racist posts on her social media platform targeting the French forward, mocking his origins, appearance, education and background.

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Among the offensive remarks, she referred to Mbappé as a “colonized Cameroonian”. Also claimed that “instead of drinking mother’s milk, he was sucking on coconuts,” and also compared him to a chimpanzee.

The posts triggered widespread condemnation across the football world and beyond.

Mbappé responded on his X account: 

He added:

The incident has drawn condemnation from the football fraternity.

The French Football Federation condemned the act as comments as “criminal and reprehensible” and announced it would refer the matter to French prosecutors. 

The Paraguayan government quickly distanced itself from Amarilla’s comments, stressing they were her personal views and in no way represent the position of the government of the Republic of Paraguay or the Paraguayan people.

The country’s Foreign Ministry said the remarks were contrary to the values of peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity.

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Later, Amarilla published an open letter  in which she said she had deleted the posts and regretted insulting Mbappé. 

However, she also demanded an apology from the France captain, accusing him of insulting her and threatening legal action if he failed to retract his comments.

The row has reignited global discussions about racism in football, with governing bodies and political leaders insisting there is no place for discrimination in the sport.