FIFA and French President Emmanuel Macron have rallied around Kylian Mbappé, criticizing racist remarks made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a tweet on his X account, Macron slammed Amarilla’s “racist attacks” on the France captain and underlined the country’s support for him.
“Another goal for Kylian Mbappé. Against racism this time. All my support. When words defile, our values respond: dignity, respect, and fraternity. @KMbappe,” Macron wrote.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also condemned the senator’s remarks, emphasizing the importance of football’s unity in the fight against racism.
“All of football and society stand in solidarity with the France captain — we need to fight racism and defeat it all together,” Infantino wrote in an Instagram post.
The condemnation comes after comments by Amarilla after France’s victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday.
The controversy erupted after Mbappé converted the decisive penalty that sent France into the quarter-finals, eliminating Paraguay.
The tense match concluded in a brief incident after the final whistle, with footage appearing to show Mbappé striding past Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill’s attempted handshake and throwing the ball at the France striker.
“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper,” Gill said after the match.
In response to a video of Gill recalling the encounter, Amarilla branded Mbappé as “a colonized Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French.”
“The brute didn’t even learn to write; instead of mother’s milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard was chimpanzees,” she wrote of Mbappé, adding that Gill should have shown the France star “the finger.”
She also described Mbappé as a “colonized Cameroonian, pretending hard to be French, resentful, newly rich, arrogant, and ugly,” and claimed he had been “nervous and scared to death” throughout the match.
Mbappé had also responded to the remarks on his verified X handle, describing Amarilla as “a despicable woman” who was unworthy of her office and accusing her of racism.
“Madame Celeste 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,” Mbappé wrote.
He added, “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.”
