When the United Nations, a president, an entire government, FIFA, and a national football federation all line up behind you, it is safe to say you are not exactly fighting alone. At this point, Kylian Mbappé may need a bigger group chat.
Following racist remarks made by Paraguayan senator Celese Amarilla, support for the French superstar has come pouring in from just about every corner of the planet.
And not just the usual social media posts with a heart emoji and a hashtag.
We are talking serious backup. The United Nations stepped up, French President Emmanuel Macron stepped up, the Government of Paraguay stepped up, FIFA stepped up and the French Football Federation also stepped up.
Honestly, if this support train gets any longer, NASA might issue a statement next.
"Yo no tengo que pedir disculpas a Mbappé por decir que chupaba cocos en vez de leche materna y solo conocía a chimpancés. Yo vengo de una sociedad donde se le pegaba a los gays y decir negro de mierda era lo más usual".
Celeste Amarilla, una senadora ultraderechista paraguaya,… pic.twitter.com/srPwx3jSDb
— Daniel Mayakovski (@DaniMayakovski) July 8, 2026
The message from all sides has been pretty simple: Racism has no place in football.
Actually, scratch that. Racism has no place anywhere.
She said why do i need to apologize to Mbappe..
“I come from a generation where calling someone a black piece of sh*t was common”
Crazy work from Paraguays senator.. pic.twitter.com/JcfBDmIBQD
— JoezMcfly🇩🇴 (@JoezMcfLy) July 7, 2026
This is what the United Nations had to say about the unfortunate remarks:
"Ese hijo de puta de Mbappé se negó a darle la mano a un jugador paraguayo, no es francés, eso no lo haría un francés".
Apenas un día después de negarse a pedir disculpas a Mbappé por llamarle chimpancé, la senadora paraguaya Celeste Amarilla, insultó de nuevo a Mbappé… https://t.co/xubJkrR9A5 pic.twitter.com/aiYCvPjYGl
— Daniel Mayakovski (@DaniMayakovski) July 9, 2026
The racist and dehumanising remarks against French footballer Kylian Mbappé 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.
Public officials have a heightened responsibility to stand against racism, discrimination and hate speech in their discourse.
States and sports organisations must actively work to prevent acts of racism and any other form of discrimination. They should also ensure that there are independent and effective accountability mechanisms in place. Social media companies also have a responsibility to prevent and address racial discrimination and xenophobic abuse on their platforms, in accordance with international human rights standards.
Football fans from around the world quickly rallied behind the French captain, proving once again that supporters may disagree about penalties, offsides, and whether pineapple belongs on pizza, but racism crosses a line.
Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla defends her racist remarks against Kylian Mbappe and doubles down with more derogatory comments, as the government rejects her statements and Mbappé calls her “despicable.” pic.twitter.com/W35Yelq5bb
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) July 8, 2026
Mbappé apparently has half the planet behind him.
🚨🌎 𝗔𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗔 La senadora Paraguaya, Celeste Amarilla tilda a Kylian Mbappe como un “hijo de puta” por no haber saludado a Orlando Gill después del partido de Paraguay vs Francia. 🇫🇷 🇵🇾 pic.twitter.com/TWBwb99TUm https://t.co/7DhTETMpD6
— Futbol de Inglaterra (@Mercado_Ingles) July 8, 2026
