Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla has issued an open letter to France captain Kylian Mbappé, defending her controversial comments following Paraguay’s World Cup exit and demanding a public apology from the football star.
In the lengthy statement, Amarilla insisted that her criticism was directed solely at Mbappé and not at France, a country she said she deeply admires. She highlighted her French education, fluency in the language, and longstanding affection for French culture.
The senator accused Mbappé of displaying arrogance and disrespect toward Paraguay before, during, and after France’s 1-0 victory in their Round of 16 clash. She cited remarks she alleged he made before the match, claiming they were insulting to the Paraguayan team and, by extension, the Paraguayan people.
Amarilla also accused the Real Madrid forward of verbally abusing Paraguayan players during the match, disrespecting the team’s goalkeeper after the final whistle, and refusing to shake his hand.
Addressing the backlash over her now-deleted social media posts, the senator admitted that she reacted “in the heat of the moment” and acknowledged that she later regretted responding with insults, leading her to delete the posts.
However, she rejected Mbappé’s description of her as “despicable” and “not worthy” of her office, arguing that she was democratically elected to represent the Paraguayan people and had every right to defend her country.
Amarilla further claimed that Mbappé’s remarks amounted to gender-based political violence, asserting that his criticism attacked her dignity as both a woman and an elected official.
She concluded the letter by demanding that Mbappé retract his comments and issue a public apology, warning that she may pursue legal action if he fails to do so.
The exchange comes after France’s victory over Paraguay, which saw Mbappé score the winning penalty before publicly condemning Amarilla’s earlier racist remarks, describing them as “despicable” and stating that they did not reflect the values of Paraguay.
