Paraguayan senator, Celeste Amarilla, has threatened to sue Kylian Mbappe for ‘gender-based violence’ after her racist attack on France’s World Cup striker.
Mbappe scored the penalty in France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay last Saturday but in a bad-tempered match, Paraguay’s repeated fouls went unpunished while the two teams had to be separated after the full-time whistle.
Following France’s victory, Amarilla launched an attack on Mbappe by responding to an image of the Real Madrid forward celebrating against her nation. The post was subsequently deleted by Amarilla following the backlash she received.
‘The brute didn’t even learn to write,’ Amarilla wrote on X.
Don’t miss a World Cup moment
What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro’s free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now.
‘Instead of mother’s milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard were chimpanzees.
‘You should’ve shown him the finger, Orlando Gill; I do it in the senate and nothing happens!!!’
Mbappe issued his response on Monday as he accused Amarilla, who represents Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, of ‘brazen racism’.
‘Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position,’ Mbappe wrote on X.
‘You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition.
‘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, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country.
‘I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world.’
But in an open letter which has been posted on social media, Amarilla has demanded an apology from Mbappe for his comments and ‘aggression’ towards her.
‘My posts were written in the heat of the moment,’ she wrote.
‘My mixed-race blood, the beautiful blend of Indigenous and Spanish heritage that runs through my veins, was boiling.
‘Later, I regretted responding with the same insults that I myself have received, because I too have been looked down upon for being dark-skinned, Latin American and, as they call us, sudacas.
‘I realised I was repeating the very behaviour that I despise, so I deleted the post. I understand that it upset you, because it was humiliating.
‘Now I expect you to do the same: withdraw your remarks and apologise to me. I will not tolerate your aggression. You have no idea who I am and you have no right to say that I AM A DESPICABLE WOMAN, UNWORTHY OF THE OFFICE I HOLD.
‘This is gender-based violence, plain and simple. It is political violence against a woman who reached her position through the votes of her people.
‘Retract your remarks, honour your French citizenship and apologise to me. Otherwise, I may begin legal proceedings on the grounds of gender-based violence.’
Speaking to the media in Paraguay on Tuesday, Amarilla also threatened Mbappe with time in prison, citing Ronaldinho’s one-month stint behind bars in Paraguay in 2020 for holding a forged passport.
‘I didn’t talk about France, nor did I talk about Cameroon. My criticism is of Mbappe, of him,’ Amarilla said.
‘I hate injustice, I hate discrimination. I don’t hate the French, I don’t hate Africans, I don’t have the racist feelings I’m accused of.
‘I was wronged and had sufficient reason to file a complaint.
‘I would say to read my letter, if he can read, and I would tell him to be careful with Paraguayans. Ronaldinho has already been imprisoned here and he shouldn’t underestimate me, I can sue him for gender violence and political violence. He should apologise to me.
‘He said I shame my country, and he said the entire career of the Paraguayan national team was ruined by what I said.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.