Targeted by despicable racist comments from a senator from Paraguay, Kylian Mbappé responded frankly to the politician. But she didn’t stand down and gave an absurd speech in return. The controversy swells and turns into a diplomatic incident.
France’s victory against Paraguay in the round of 16 continues to make headlines. But while several Paraguayan footballers had been singled out for their ultra-aggressive way of playing, it is a senator from the country who is now scandalizing the whole world with her despicable comments aimed at Kylian Mbappé…
Kylian Mbappé responds to violent insults from a Paraguayan senator
The 61-year-old politician, Celeste Amarilla, was quick to react to Paraguay’s defeat against France and posted an insulting and racist message towards the captain of the Blues, Kylian Mbappé, on social networks: “Instead of sucking breast milk, he suckled coconuts and the most educated people he ever heard of were chimpanzees“. And added: “A Cameroonian from colonization, desperately trying to pass as a Frenchman, resentful, nouveau riche, arrogant and ugly“.
The 27-year-old footballer finally responded to the senator by calling her “contemptible woman unworthy of her position“, before specifying: “I will never give people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism throughout the world“. Words which visibly offended Celeste Amarilla, since she came out of her hinges by declaring that “arrogance and contempt“from the Captain of the Blues”annoyed him a lot“.
Celeste Amarilla’s lunar response to Kylian Mbappé: “Pure and harsh gender violence!”
The senator then tried to show that she regretted her comments: “My posts were made with blood boiling (…) However, I repented of having mistreated you with the same insults that I receive, because I too am looked down upon for being mixed race and Latin… I realized that I was repeating patterns that I hate and I deleted it.”
But she did not hesitate to turn the situation around by demanding… an apology from Kylian Mbappé! “Who are you to call me unworthy or despicable when you don’t even know me! Pure gender violence! Retract, honor your French citizenship and apologize, otherwise I will be able to take legal action for gender violence“, she was indignant.
The captain of the French team, however, received the support of the Paraguayan government through a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which “deplored“the words of Celeste Amarilla stating that they were”contrary to the values” of the country. As for the French President, Emmanuel Macron, he also threw his two cents into the controversy and reacted on Twitter: “One more goal for Kylian Mbappé, against racism this time. All my support“.
The French Football Federation also launched legal proceedings against the Paraguayan senator and Fifa President Gianni Infantino said in an Instagram story: “I unequivocally condemn the racist remarks made against Kylian Mbappé by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla“.
