French prosecutors have opened an investigation into aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred or violence after a Paraguayan senator racially abused France captain Kylian Mbappé following Paraguay’s World Cup defeat.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the probe began after the French Football Federation lodged a complaint with the national unit tackling online hate.
The senator, Celeste Amarilla of Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, posted racist comments on X after Mbappé scored the winning penalty in France’s victory on Saturday, mocking his origins, upbringing, education and appearance.
Mbappé responded by calling her a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy” of serving in Paraguay’s Congress. Prosecutors said the remarks were allegedly made because of the victim’s actual or perceived origin, ethnicity, nationality, race or religion, offences that carry up to a year in prison and a €45,000 fine.
Amarilla later issued an open letter in French and Spanish, saying her issue was with the player rather than France, and that she regretted using against Mbappé the same insults she has faced as a mixed-race woman.
She said she had deleted the post, but also demanded an apology from Mbappé, accused him of gender-based violence in his remarks about her, and threatened legal action. The Paraguayan government condemned her comments as contrary to the country’s values and stressed they represent neither the government nor the Paraguayan people.
The FFF branded the abuse utterly abhorrent, while President Emmanuel Macron and Sports Minister Marina Ferrari backed Mbappé. France advance to a quarterfinal against Morocco on Thursday.
