What Amarilla Said
Amarilla posted a series of racist remarks about Mbappé on her social media accounts after France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday in Philadelphia. Among the comments, she reportedly wrote that Mbappé “hasn’t even learned to write” and that “instead of breastmilk, he grew up sucking” — language widely condemned as dehumanizing and racist. The posts came in the wake of Paraguay’s elimination from the tournament, a match decided by a Mbappé penalty in the 70th minute. nytimes.com sports.yahoo.com facebook.com espn.com
Mbappé’s Response
In a statement posted Monday, Mbappé addressed Amarilla directly. “Mrs Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your office,” the France captain wrote, according to multiple outlets. He added that Amarilla does not represent Paraguay, “a country that breathed passion” during the match, and accused her of overshadowing her own team’s historic effort with “recklessness” and “brazen racism.” bbc.co.uk reuters.com sports.yahoo.com onefootball.com
The French Football Federation also released a statement condemning Amarilla’s remarks, calling them racist and expressing support for its captain. threads.com
A World Cup Marred Off the Pitch
The incident adds to a pattern of racism controversies that have surfaced during major international football tournaments. Mbappé, who scored his 19th career World Cup goal in the match against Paraguay, has previously spoken out against discrimination in the sport. France advanced to face Morocco in the quarterfinals on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. espn.com bbc.co.uk
FIFA had not issued a formal response as of Monday afternoon.
