Beyza Binnur Donmez
07 July 2026•Update: 07 July 2026
The UN human rights office on Tuesday blasted racist remarks made against French football star Kylian Mbappe by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla, saying they reflected a broader pattern of racism in football and sport.
"The racist and dehumanising remarks against French footballer Kylian Mbappe by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla are despicable and, regrettably, not isolated," said a statement by UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan.
He said reports of racist incidents during the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup reflected "a wider phenomenon across football and sports more broadly."
Al-Kheetan said public officials have "a heightened responsibility" to stand against racism, discrimination, and hate speech in their public speech.
He called on governments and sports organizations to actively prevent racism and all other forms of discrimination and to ensure "independent and effective accountability mechanisms" are in place.
The UN rights office also urged social media companies to address racial discrimination and xenophobic abuse on their platforms.
"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," Al-Kheetan said.
The statement followed comments made by Amarilla after Paraguay's 1-0 defeat to France in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, decided by Mbappe's penalty. Amarilla posted a series of comments on X criticizing Mbappe's Cameroonian heritage, appearance, upbringing, and education.
Facing a backlash of criticism, Amarilla deleted the posts and published an open letter saying the she regretted using "the same insults" that she herself had received as a mixed-race person.
Mbappe responded on X, calling Amarilla "a despicable woman and unworthy of your position," and saying he would "never allow people like her the freedom to spread their hatred and racism across the world."
Amarilla does "not represent Paraguay," he stressed.
