Who Is Celeste Amarilla? Paraguayan Senator Behind Kylian Mbappe's 'Ugly' and 'Arrogant' Controversy

The Government of the Republic of Paraguay, through the social media account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 'deplores and rejects' the statement of Senator Celeste Amarilla directed at French footballer Kylian Mbappe.

'They are contrary to the values and principles that inspire peaceful coexistence and respect human dignity, which our country promotes,' the statement read. 'The statements made by (Amarilla) are solely the exercise of her individual responsibility as a member of the Legislative Branch and do not in any way represent the position of the Government of the Republic of Paraguay or the Paraguayan people.'

Who Is Senator Celeste Amarilla?

Amarilla, 61, is a Paraguayan lawyer and senator. She won as senator in the 2023 general election, representing the Authentic Radical Liberal Party. She was a deputy, or a member of the lower house, representing the Capital district from 2018 to 2023.

Her verbal tussle with Mbappe wasn't the first time Amarilla made controversial statements against high-profile figures. In 2020, she was suspended for 60 days without pay after claiming that most of the Chamber of Deputies paid for their seats.

Following a heated game between France and Paraguay, where the French disposed of the Paraguayans in the Round of 16, Amarilla made disparaging and racist remarks against Mbappe. In a since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter), Amarilla said in Spanish, 'The brute didn't even learn to write; instead of mother's milk, he sucked on coconuts, and the most educated thing he heard was chimpanzees.'

On Instagram, some of Amarilla's comments remain visible. With a photo of Mbappe, Amarilla wrote, 'Cameroonian colonised, pretending hard to be French, resentful, rich new, arrogant and ugly... The only thing that many of us complain about Albirroja is that we didn't slap him with an open hand after the match ended.'

'Despicable Woman'

Mbappe called Amarilla a 'despicable woman' following the remarks. In his social media account, the French captain said, 'Madame Celeste Amarilla, you are unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, that country which has sweated passion and honour 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.'

Amarilla to Mbappe: 'The Problem Is With You'

Rather than apologising, Amarilla posted an open letter to Mbappe on her social media accounts. She doubled down on her criticism of the footballer, and clarified that her beef is with Mbappe and not France.

'Your arrogance and contempt have angered me since before the match, when you said, "If we have to get our hands dirty, we'll do it,"' Amarilla said in her letter. She implied that Mbappe called the Paraguay national football team dirty, though Mbappe's statement refers to a common idiomatic expression of working hard.

'During the match, your arrogance was obvious. You treated every player with contempt, as though they were disgusting,' Amarilla also said in her lengthy letter. She referred to Mbappe's refusal to shake hands with goalkeeper Orlando Gill after the game.

Closing her letter, Amarilla demanded that Mbappe retract his remarks and apologise, warning she would pursue legal action on grounds of gender-based violence if he failed to do so.