Celeste Amarilla, a Paraguayan senator, has requested an apology from Kylian Mbappé after the France football team captain criticized her for racial statements made during France's 1-0 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 win against Paraguay. In an open letter published on July 7, Amarilla justified her criticism, admitting she deleted her previous posts, and threatened legal action unless Mbappé retracts his remarks. She wrote:“You have no idea who I am”Senator claims criticism was directed at Mbappé and not FranceIn her open letter, Amarilla stated that her disagreement was with Mbappé individually, not with France. She expressed her strong respect for the country, mentioning that she attended the Collège de l'Immaculée Conception from the age of two until she was seventeen. She also stated that she grew up singing La Marseillaise, respects the French flag alongside Paraguay's, knows French, and travels to the nation frequently with her family.Amarilla even mentioned spending Christmas in Courchevel and New Year's Eve in Saint-Tropez, claiming that these experiences mirrored her love for France. According to her, the problem "has nothing to do with France," and her disagreement is purely with the French captain.Senator accuses Kylian Mbappé of arrogance before and after the matchAmarilla went on to explain why she felt irritated with Mbappé long before France's Round of 16 match against Paraguay.She referred to comments he had allegedly made prior to the match, including a statement that France would "put our hands in the dirt" if necessary. According to Amarilla, many Paraguayans understood the statements as a reference to their national team and found them offensive.She also brought up another alleged comment about "removing the makeup," alleging it reinforced the impression that Mbappé looked negative toward Paraguay and its players. According to Amarilla, the remarks enraged many people in Paraguay, yet the country opted not to reply publicly before the match.She also accused the French captain of demonstrating contempt throughout the game, claiming he insulted Paraguayan teammates and refused to shake goalie Orlando Gill's hand after the final whistle before celebrating in front of him. Amarilla claimed that respect for opponents is "almost sacred" and that his actions severely hurt Paraguay.Amarilla admits her earlier racist remarks and demands an apologyThe dispute started after Amarilla made a series of racist statements against the French captain following France's victory over Paraguay. She referred to the French captain as a "colonised Cameroonian pretending to be French," as well as "resentful," "newly rich," "arrogant," and "ugly" who grew up "sucking on coconuts."After her statements drew widespread condemnation, she deleted and apologized. She admitted that they were written while she was overcome with anger after the match.She stated that her "blood was boiling" and admitted that she had responded to Kylian with the same type of insults that she had received as a mixed-race Latina lady. She admitted that she understood why her remarks hurt Mbappé.This led to Mbappé responding with:"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 honor 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."Despite expressing regret for her own statements, Amarilla asked that Mbappé retract and apologize. She resisted being labeled "a despicable woman" and "unworthy" of public office, stating:"You do not know me. 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."Amarilla went on to defend her political career, claiming that she was democratically elected as a Senator after serving as a National Deputy. She said that thousands of Paraguayans voted for her and that her primary responsibility is "to be the voice of the Paraguayan people, to say what they cannot say, and to defend my country with my life if necessary."She continued by stating that the Real Madrid talisman would not understand the burden of representing the whole nation in public office, highlighting that she was freely chosen to enact laws and speak on behalf of the Paraguayan people. She then concluded by asking him to apologize and if he refused, she would take legal action:"Retract your statements, honor your French citizenship, and apologize. Otherwise, I may pursue legal action for gender based violence."Kylian Mbappé and France will now face Morocco in the quarter-final of the World Cup on July 10, 2026.Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.