French Football Federation files legal complaint after Paraguayan senator’s racist attack on Mbappe’

The French Football Federation (FFF) has announced it will file a formal complaint with the prosecutor’s office following racist remarks made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla against France captain Kylian Mbappé. The federation condemned the comments as “utterly abhorrent and unacceptable”, stating they are “criminal and reprehensible” and must be prosecuted.

The controversy erupted after France’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the World Cup Round of 16 on Saturday. Amarilla, a member of Paraguay’s Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), targeted Mbappé on social media following a post-match incident in which the France forward allegedly declined to shake hands with Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill.

In a series of posts, the senator wrote: “This brute hasn’t even learned to write; instead of mother’s milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard were chimpanzees”. She escalated her rhetoric by describing Mbappé as “a colonized Cameroonian pretending to be French” and added: “The only thing many of us blame Albirroja for is not giving him a slap in the face at the end of the match”.

Mbappé responded swiftly on Monday with a blistering counter-attack on social media. “Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position,” he wrote. “You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition”. He added: “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”.

The FFF’s statement emphasized that the attack transcends the individual player. “The players of the France National Team represent France; it is our country that is being insulted,” the federation declared, extending its full support to Mbappé, the squad, and “all victims of such odious remarks”.

The match itself was marked by intense physical play, with Mbappé—who scored the decisive 70th-minute penalty—repeatedly fouled by Paraguayan defenders. Tempers boiled over at the final whistle when Gill threw a ball at Mbappé’s back. The controversy follows earlier racist remarks by former Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert, who had labeled the French team an “African selection”.

Sports Minister Marina Ferrari also condemned the senator’s comments earlier Monday. The FFF has now taken the unprecedented step of seeking judicial action, stating that such remarks “dishonor those who make them and those who spread them”. The federation reaffirmed its commitment to “fighting racism and all forms of discrimination”.

France will now face Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals, while the fallout from Amarilla’s remarks continues to dominate headlines. Neither the Paraguayan Football Association nor FIFA has issued an official statement on the matter.