France Captain, Kylian Mbappe has accused a Paraguayan senator of racism after she launched a social media attack on him following her country’s World Cup elimination.
The Real Madrid forward scored a decisive second-half penalty to earn France a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, but the round of 16 clash was marred by dirty tactics used by the South American nation.
Paraguay adopted a physical and disruptive approach in an attempt to unsettle their opponents. The South Americans committed repeated fouls, appeared to exaggerate injuries on several occasions, and engaged in aggressive conduct to frustrate Les Bleus.
After Paraguay’s controversial World Cup exit, the country’s senator Celeste Amarilla launched a vile attack on France’s captain.
After Mbappe refused a handshake with Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill, she claimed: ‘This brute hasn’t even learned to write’ before hurling racist insults at the superstar.
‘You should’ve shown him the finger, Orlando Gill; I do it in the senate, and nothing happens!!!’
She also wrote in a separate post, that Mbappe was ‘pretending hard to be French, resentful, newly rich, arrogant, and ugly.
‘He was nervous and scared to death the whole match, like his entire team; they couldn’t even score a goal, they won by a fluke…
‘The only thing many of us demanded of the Albirroja is not to have slapped him open-handed after the match ended. And that’s despite not being a soccer fan.’
Mbappe responded to her tirade with his own statement on Monday, which read: ‘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.
‘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.’
French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo also threw his support behind Mbappe and posted: ‘The racist remarks by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla targeting Kylian Mbappe are criminal and reprehensible.
‘They must be prosecuted here as elsewhere. The FFF is filing a report with the prosecutor’s office for the purpose of judicial proceedings.
‘I offer my full support to our captain, to the players, and more generally to all the victims of such odious remarks. The players of the French national team represent France; it is our country that is insulted.’