France captain Kylian Mbappé is embroiled in a racial row with Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla after he allegedly declined to shake hands with goalkeeper Orlando Gill following France's 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Amarilla reportedly criticized Mbappé for taunting his opponents and ignoring what she described as a fair-play gesture after the match.
"This brute hasn't even learned to write. Instead of breast milk, he grew up sucking on coconuts, and the most educated creatures he ever heard were chimpanzees," Amarilla was quoted as saying.
She added, "You should've given him the middle finger, Orlando Gill."
Amarilla further described Mbappé as:"A colonized Cameroonian pretending to be French, resentful, newly rich, arrogant, and ugly."
The Real Madrid star did not take the remarks lightly and responded with a strongly worded statement.
"Mrs. Celeste Amarilla, you are a despicable woman and unworthy of your position. You do not represent Paraguay, a country that has shown passion and honor throughout this competition."
He continued: "Through your recklessness and your brazen racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and the historic effort your players accomplished during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country."
Mbappé concluded: "I will never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
On Tuesday, Amarilla responded to Mbappé, reportedly threatening to sue him for gender-based violence if he does not apologize to her.
France will face Morocco in the quarter-finals on Thursday, July 9, at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, in a repeat of the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Qatar.