​The racism chapter centered on Senator Celeste Amarillo remains far from resolved. After the Paraguayan government condemned her racist messages directed at Kylian Mbappé, she struck again, now demanding an apology from the French football star. In a document titled “Letter to Mbappé,” the senator presents her version of events from the Round of 16 match and offers this account.
What set her off, she writes, was Mbappé’s arrogance and contempt even before kickoff. She claims he publicly declared, “if we have to put our hands in the shit, we’ll put them in,” a remark she interprets as a direct jab at Paraguay. She says she understood this as a statement that the Paraguayan team—her country and its people—were the ones in the metaphorical “shit.” She further asserts that Mbappé commented on his own elegance by saying he would take off a tuxedo, implying that those from Paraguay—she describes them as poor and brutish—do not even know what a tuxedo is. Despite her outrage, she claims Paraguay remained silent, with her participating in that silence.
According to Amarillo, Mbappé’s conduct during the match was marked by arrogance and a visible disdain for every opponent on the field. She accuses him of displaying such contempt that he appeared to disgust her team. She also alleges that he used a vulgar insult—“your mother’s cunt”—without even covering his mouth, a phrase she identifies as extraordinarily aggressive in Latin America. She emphasizes that this is precisely why the language matters and why his behavior was unacceptable in her view.
Amarillo further contends that Mbappé snubbed the opposing goalkeeper’s greeting after the game. She asserts that, in the rituals of sport—where rivals exchange greetings after a contest, regardless of the outcome—this act of refusal to shake hands amounted to a public display of superiority. She claims that Mbappé’s actions conveyed contempt, arrogance, and poor manners in a single moment, a behavior she says wounded her, her country, and their collective sense of pride.
In her letter, she asserts that France should condemn Mbappé’s actions, arguing that France is a nation steeped in gentlemanly tradition, with centuries of history and the concept of “savoir faire.” She insists that his conduct warranted censure from the French state for failing to live up to those standards. She writes that her posts were made in a state of intense anger, claiming they were “with my blood boiling.”
Strikingly, she ends the missive by demanding a retraction of Mbappé’s description of her as “a despicable woman, unworthy of the office I hold.” She then attempts to shield herself behind concerns about gender violence. The letter concludes with a threat: she urges Mbappé to retract his words, honor his French citizenship, and apologize to her; otherwise, she says, she may consider legal action for gender violence.
This article has been translated into English by Artificial Intelligence, with the original version available in Spanish. The ongoing dynamics surrounding Amarillo’s claims and Mbappé’s response continue to generate debate about rhetoric, national pride, and the boundaries of accountability in sports diplomacy. The situation remains fluid as new statements and reactions emerge from both sides, with observers weighing the potential implications for relations between Paraguay and France, as well as the broader conversation about racism and language in international football.