France advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Philadelphia, a match decided by Kylian Mbappé’s 70th-minute penalty after a VAR review for a foul on Désiré Doué. The contest was bruising and ill-tempered throughout, with both sides engaging in repeated confrontations. At the final whistle, Mbappé refused to shake the hand of Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who then threw the ball at the French captain’s back. Gill later stated he had simply wanted to congratulate Mbappé but lost his temper when ignored.

Within hours, Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party posted a series of messages on X that drew widespread condemnation. She described Mbappé as a “colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French,” a “brute” who had not learned to write, and claimed that “instead of mother’s milk he sucked on coconuts and the most educated beings he ever heard were chimpanzees.” Amarilla also suggested Paraguay’s players should have slapped him after the match. The posts quickly went viral, prompting reactions from across the political and sporting spectrum.

Mbappé responded on Monday with a statement that separated the senator from the Paraguayan people. “Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour throughout the competition,” he wrote, adding that her “brazen racism” had overshadowed the historic effort of Paraguay’s players. The French Football Federation (FFF) announced it would file a criminal complaint, calling the remarks “utterly abhorrent and unacceptable” and stressing that the players “represent France; it is our country that is being insulted.” French sports minister Marina Ferrari described the comments as “abject, disgraceful and all the more unacceptable coming from a politician,” while President Emmanuel Macron voiced his support for Mbappé.

In Asunción, the government moved swiftly to distance itself. The foreign ministry issued a statement deploring Amarilla’s expressions as “contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity,” and stressed that her views did not represent the government or the Paraguayan people. The president of Paraguay’s Congress, Basilio Núñez, separately rejected the “racist, xenophobic messages” and insisted that politics and sport should be kept separate. FIFA president Gianni Infantino also issued an unequivocal condemnation, declaring that “there is no place for racism or any form of discrimination in football or in society.”

The episode follows pre-match remarks by former Paraguay goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert, who had referred to France as “a squad from Africa,” drawing a sharp rebuke from FFF president Philippe Diallo. France now turns to a quarter-final against Morocco in Boston on Thursday, with Mbappé level on seven goals with Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.