Paraguayan Senator, Celeste Amarilla, has published an open letter to Kylian Mbappé, demanding that the France captain retract his criticism of her and apologise or face possible legal action over what she described as “gender-based violence.”
The letter comes hours after the pair exchanged words following the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between France and Paraguay, during which Amarilla made remarks about Mbappé’s African heritage that drew widespread condemnation.
In the letter, Amarilla insisted her dispute was with Mbappé and not France, describing herself as a longtime admirer of the country and its culture.
“The problem is between you and me. I have never said anything against France. On the contrary, I stand with France,” she wrote in a letter issued on Tuesday.
The senator accused Mbappé of displaying arrogance before and during the match, alleging that his comments and behaviour towards Paraguayan players and goalkeeper Orlando Gill offended the South American nation.
She claimed Mbappé had shown “contempt” for Paraguay’s players, refused to shake Gill’s hand after the match and celebrated victory in the goalkeeper’s face.
Amarilla acknowledged that her earlier social media posts were made “in the heat of the moment” and said she later deleted them after realising she had responded with insults she herself finds objectionable.
“I immediately regretted responding to you with the same insults that I myself receive. I realised I was repeating the very behaviour I despise, so I deleted the post,” she wrote.
However, she maintained that Mbappé’s response, in which he described her as “a despicable woman” unworthy of her office, was unacceptable.
“I am a Senator of the Paraguayan Nation, elected by the people. Who are you to call me unworthy or despicable when you do not even know me?” she asked.
She further alleged that Mbappé’s remarks amounted to “gender-based violence” and “political violence against a woman,” urging him to withdraw his comments and apologise.
“Retract your statements, honour your French citizenship, and apologise. Otherwise, I may pursue legal action for gender-based violence,” she said.
Recall that the controversy erupted after Mbappé converted the decisive penalty that sent France into the quarter-finals, eliminating Paraguay.
The tense encounter ended in a brief altercation after the final whistle, with videos appearing to show Mbappé walking past an attempted handshake from Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill, with him throwing the ball at the France forward.
“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper,” Gill said after the match.
Reacting to a video of Gill recounting the incident, Amarilla described Mbappé as “a colonised Cameroonian who has really pretended to be French.”
Reacting in a post via his X handle on Monday, Mbappé described the senator as “a despicable woman” and accused her of “brazen racism.”
French President Emmanuel Macron and FIFA President Gianni Infantino also condemned the senator’s earlier remarks and expressed solidarity with the France captain.
