Paraguay: Who is Celeste Amarilla, the senator who made racist remarks against Kylian Mbappé?

Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla, who made racist remarks about Kylian Mbappé after France's 1-0 victory against Argentina on Sunday, is no stranger to controversy. The 61-year-old politician is a regular at the center of it in her country.

Unacceptable attacks. On Sunday, July 5, shortly after France's victory against Paraguay in the Round of 16 of the World Cup, a senator from that South American country lost her temper and posted several racist messages directed at Kylian Mbappé. A heated exchange ensued between the French captain and the 61-year-old politician, no stranger to controversy in her country. Emmanuel Macron supported Kylian Mbappé, while his Paraguayan counterpart distanced himself from the senator's remarks.

A member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, positioned on the center-right of the Paraguayan political spectrum, Celeste Amarilla is a well-known politician in her country. But not always for the right reasons. After initially describing Kylian Mbappé as "a Cameroonian desperately trying to pass for French" and stating that he "couldn't write," that he "sucked on coconuts," and that the most educated people he had ever met were "chimpanzees," the senator drew the ire of public opinion, including in Paraguay.

Following the response from the French national team captain, who denounced a woman as "despicable and unworthy of her position" who "does not represent Paraguay" with her "blatant racism," Celeste Amarillo doubled down—despite deleting her initial controversial message—accusing Kylian Mbappé of "sexism," "contempt," and "arrogance" in an open letter, before threatening him with legal action for "gender-based violence." She is also scheduled to hold a press conference this Tuesday with the media in her country.

accustomed to controversy

Despite the extreme gravity of her remarks, the senator and lawyer by training is nonetheless an important public figure in Paraguay. Known as the widow of Franklin Boccia, a member of parliament from 1998 to 2003 and famous for his fight against the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, overthrown in a 1989 coup, she was elected to parliament in 2018 in the district of the capital, Asunción. After briefly serving as Secretary of Childhood, Sports, and Social Action, she remained a member of parliament for five years before being elected senator in June 2023.

A five-year term marked by a two-month suspension from her duties and salary in 2020 after she was found guilty of "disrespectful allusions made with malicious intent or illegitimate motives toward members of the House." Celeste Amarilla had claimed that approximately 70 members of parliament had obtained their positions through dubious means, accusing them of having bought their seats with dirty money, including proceeds from drug trafficking.

In 2022, a rival party sought sanctions against her for her "repeated statements, threats, and attacks" which "undermine republican principles, denigrate the dignity of members of Congress, and violate the entirety of the disciplinary code related to her office." She was even accused of having bought her seat for $200,000 (approximately €175,000) and of having paid bribes to win bids for school meal contracts.

The Paraguayan president distances himself

A media personality, Celeste Amarilla is also known for being among the top five wealthiest senators in the country—with a fortune of over €3.2 million, according to the Auditor General of the Republic of Paraguay—and for other controversial remarks. "I'm often asked if I'm the grandmother of Larissa Riquelme (a Paraguayan model). That small body continues to turn heads," she notably declared during a Senate session in June.

In response to the outcry sparked by his racist remarks against Kylian Mbappé, the President of Paraguay and the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs distanced themselves from these attacks to avoid a diplomatic incident. For his part, the French national team captain received support from Emmanuel Macron, the Minister of Sports, and the French Football Federation (FFF), which filed a report with the public prosecutor's office.