Kylian Mbappe vs Celeste Amarilla: All you need to know as Paraguay govt distances itself from senator's 'racist' attack

France captain Kylian Mbappe, who is having the tournament of a lifetime in this edition of the FIFA World Cup, has slammed a Pragauayan senator, directly calling her a 'despicable woman' after she made disparaging comments against him on social media post his penalty kick bouncing her national team off the tournament.

Celeste Amarilla, the Paraguayan politican, wrote a long post on X where she called Mbappe a "colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to ⁠pass himself off as French", and added that he is a “brute who had not learned to ​write”, and went on to say that he should have been slapped by the Paraguay players after the match.

The French captain soon retorted back with a post of his own, where he slammed Amarilla's comments. "You are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position," Mbappe said, adding that she does not represent the country and is doing disservice to her country's efforts in the tournament by making such comments on social media.

"You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honor throughout the competition. 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," Mbappe said in a post on X.

"I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world," he further added.

Paraguay's government issues statement

The government of Paraguay was quick to step in and slam the senator for her comments. In a statement released on social media, the foreign affairs ministry of the government said that it "deplores and rejects the statements made by Senator Celeste Amarilla, directed at the captain of the French national team, Kylian Mbappé, which are contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity that our country promotes."

The statement slammed Amarilla, saying that she has made the comment in her individual capacity and it does not reflect the sentiments of the Paraguayan government or its people.

"Paraguay is a democratic Republic governed by the principle of separation and independence of the powers of the State, and in this context, the statements made by the aforementioned legislator correspond exclusively to the exercise of her individual responsibility as a member of the Legislative Branch and in no way represent the position of the Government of the Republic of Paraguay or the Paraguayan people," the government statement read.

The Paraguayan government also reaffirmed its commitment to the promotion of human right, respect, and equality.

"The Government of Paraguay reaffirms its firm commitment to the promotion of human rights, equality and respect among people, the fight against racism, xenophobia, intolerance and all manifestations of hatred or discrimination. It also expresses its solidarity with those who may have felt affected by these statements and reiterates its respect for the French people with whom Paraguay maintains a historic relationship of friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding," the statement added.

The statement by the Paraguay government came after The French Football Federation came to the aid of their captain and announced that they would be taking legal action against Amarilla. The FFF called her comments "utterly abhorrent and unacceptable".