Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla, who has been at the center of controversy after making comments deemed racist toward French star Kylian Mbappe following the France-Paraguay match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 4, is now considering filing a complaint against the Real Madrid forward for "slander and defamation."

THE DETAILS

"If this double accusation is accepted by the justice system in our country (Paraguay), the maximum sentence could reach three years in prison, which would meet the conditions of the extradition treaty between France and Paraguay," Amarilla's lawyer, Guillermo Duarte Cacavelos, told Le Parisien.

The lawyer was referring to Mbappé's response to the senator's comments. The Real Madrid forward called Amarilla a "despicable woman unworthy of her position" after she claimed, among other insults, that he was a "colonized Cameroonian" pretending to be French and said that "the most cultured thing he had ever heard in his life was chimpanzees."

Duarte Cacavelos explained that any potential lawsuit would depend on the outcome of the investigation opened by French prosecutors against the senator for "public insults aggravated by the fact that they were made based on the victim's actual or perceived origin, ethnicity, nationality, race or religion."

The Paraguayan politician could face up to one year in prison and a fine of more than $51,000 (€45,000).

"Mbappé could appear before the courts here in Paraguay. Our position will depend on the outcome of the legal actions initiated in France. If those proceedings continue, the senator will take the appropriate legal measures," the lawyer warned.

In any case, Amarilla's legal representative said the senator has no intention of apologizing, citing freedom of expression as her defense.

"She spoke in her own name, as a private citizen and a fan of the national team, not on behalf of the Paraguayan government or as a political representative," the lawyer stated.

A SITUATION THAT HAS ESCALATED

Amarilla's comments have drawn reactions from the governments of both Paraguay and France. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for Mbappé following the "racist attacks," while Paraguayan President Santiago Peña said the senator's remarks did not represent the values of his country.

However, earlier this week, Amarilla once again attacked Mbappé, who scored the penalty that eliminated Paraguay in the Round of 16 at the World Cup being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. During a Senate session in which she was criticized for her previous remarks, she accused the forward of arrogance and disrespect.

"This son of a bitch (sic) refuses to shake his hand and shouts in his face. That is not French, a Frenchman would never have done that," she said during the session, referring to an alleged gesture by the Real Madrid star during the match, when he reportedly refused to shake Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill's hand after the final whistle.

Mbappé, who was born in Bondy, in the northern suburbs of Paris in the Seine-Saint-Denis department —the area with the highest immigrant population in France—, is the son of an Algerian mother and a Cameroonian father and is considered by many as a symbol of multicultural France.

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