France Captain Mbappé Condemns Paraguayan Senator's Racist Remarks

France captain Kylian Mbappé condemned racist remarks made on social media by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla after Saturday's World Cup match in Philadelphia. Mbappé scored the only goal in a 1-0 win that sent France into the quarter-finals. Amarilla wrote on X that Mbappé was a "colonized Cameroonian" trying to "pass himself off as French" and called him a "brute" who had not learned to write.

Mbappé issued a statement on Monday calling Amarilla a "despicable woman and unworthy of your position." He said she did not represent Paraguay and accused her of spreading hatred that overshadowed the players' efforts. "I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world," Mbappé wrote.

" It said the comments insulted France and would be reported to prosecutors. Paraguay's government issued a statement rejecting the comments and said they did not represent the position of the government or the Paraguayan people. The leader of Paraguay's legislature also condemned racist and xenophobic messages.

Mbappé's statement also defended the Paraguay players, saying their performance during the tournament had been overshadowed by the senator's comments.