Mbappe threatened with prison: World Cup clash sparks extraordinary diplomatic incident

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Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

France and Paraguay’s World Cup clash has been the catalyst for an ongoing diplomatic incident that has seen Kylian Mbappe threatened with jail and an intervention on his behalf from the UN.

Mbappe’s feud with a Paraguayan politician Celeste Amarilla continues, with the France international attacker branded a “son of a b****” following the World Cup clash between the nations.

Les Bleus’ 1-0 win over Paraguay will go down as one of the 2026 competition’s most infamous matches. Mbappe decided the game from the penalty spot, but the match was marred by a number of controversial refereeing decisions, with the South Americans facing accusations of taking gamesmanship to extreme lengths in a bid to rile their opponents.

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Kylian Mbappé

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Kylian Mbappé

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Real Madrid

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Mbappe the victim of racist remarks

In the immediate aftermath of the final whistle, Mbappe ignored Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gil, who went towards him to shake hands, instead gleefully celebrating with the France fans having been the target of repeated provocations from the CONMEBOL side.

This in turn sparked an angry reaction from Paraguayan senator Amarilla, who took to social media with a racist tirade against the Real Madrid forward.

“This idiot didn't even learn to write. Instead of suckling breast milk, he suckled on coconuts, and the most educated beings he'd ever heard of were chimpanzees,” she wrote on X.

“A Cameroonian, a product of colonialism, desperately trying to pass for French, resentful, nouveau riche, arrogant, and ugly. He was nervous and terrified throughout the entire match, just like his whole team; they didn't even manage to score a goal, they won thanks to a stroke of luck...”

This came against a backdrop of former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert proclaiming before the game that France was an “African team”.

Threatened with prison

The response from France was swift. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation against Amarilla for public insult, aggravated by the fact that it is pronounced on account of the origin, ethnicity, nation, race or religion, real or supposed, of the victim, as well as for public incitement to hatred or violence.

Consequently, she faces a fine of up to €45,000 and the possibility of one year of imprisonment.

In response, she said: “I would tell Mbappé to read my letter; I wrote it in French and Spanish. I would tell Mbappé to read my letter, if he can read, and I would tell him to be wary of Paraguayans. Don't attack Paraguayans.

“Here, they put Ronaldinho in prison for a minor offence. Mbappe shouldn't underestimate me. I can hire a lawyer and I can file a complaint against him for gender-based violence and political violence against women. This is serious.”

Mbappe, meanwhile, responded via his social accounts.

“You are a despicable woman, unworthy of your position,” he said. “You do not represent Paraguay, a country that exuded passion and honour throughout the competition.

“Through your recklessness and blatant racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and historic effort your players made 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 to spread their hatred and racism around the world.”

Indeed, Amarilla’s words caught the attention of the UN, with High Commissioner spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan issuing a statement on the situation.

“The racist and dehumanising remarks against French footballer Kylian Mbappe by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla are despicable and, regrettably, not isolated. Reports of racist incidents during the FIFA World Cup 2026 reflect a wider phenomenon across football and sports more broadly,” he wrote.

“Public officials have a heightened responsibility to stand against racism, discrimination and hate speech in their discourse.”

Fresh attack on the France striker

Amarilla doubled down on her remarks on Wednesday, this time taking to the platform of the Paraguayan Senate to criticise the France forward.

“When Orlando Gil, a young man who was without doubt setting foot in the World Cup for the first time, who was probably discovering Europe for the first time, was playing in front of the whole world and extended his hand with all the humility of a Paraguayan, this son of a b**** refused to shake his hand and shouted in his face. That is not French. A Frenchman would never have done that,” she proclaimed.

“France is Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Rene Descartes, Montesquieu, Victor Hugo, Simone de Beauvoir, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. I refuse to reduce all of this immense France, as well as its immense cultural, artistic and democratic heritage, to Mbappe.”

In the meantime, Mbappe continues, apparently untroubled, to lead France in North America, with the striker having netted seven World Cup goals to date ahead of Thursday’s quarter-final with Morocco.

Written by

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Robin Bairner is an eminent digital football journalist who has been writing about the sport for major global publishers since 2006, specialising in Ligue 1 and Scottish football. He has been chief editor of the FootballTransfers global edition since its launch in 2020. Previously Bairner had been a key member of the editorial team which helped Goal.com become the world’s biggest football website. He covered multiple major competitions as a correspondent for Goal including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he had the opportunity to work in Fortaleza. Among his highlights of the competition was Brazil’s quarter-final victory over Colombia.

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