Paraguay condemns senator's racist comments on Mbappé

The government of Paraguay has formally condemned racist remarks made by one of its senators against French football captain Kylian Mbappé, following France's 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the World Cup round of 16 on Saturday, July 4. The incident has sparked international outrage and a legal threat from the French Football Federation.

In a statement issued on Monday, July 6, Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "deplores and rejects" the statements made by Senator Celeste Amarilla, calling them "contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity." The government stressed that Amarilla's comments, made in her individual capacity as a legislator, do not represent the position of the Paraguayan government or its people.

Amarilla, a 61-year-old senator from the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, posted the remarks on social media after the match in Philadelphia. In now-deleted posts, she made derogatory and racially charged comments about Mbappé, including references to "coconuts" and "chimpanzees." She also referred to the player, whose father is from Cameroon, as a "Cameroonian colonised, pretending hard to be French,...