The Paraguayan senator who racially abused Kylian Mbappé online has now demanded an apology from the French superstar in a bizarre open letter.France beat Paraguay 1–0 in Philadelphia in the World Cup round of 16, with little love lost between the sides during a hard-fought and, at times, bitter encounter.Mbappé celebrated wildly at the final whistle and told reporters after the game: “We knew what kind of match we were going to have. We can also get our hands dirty, we know how to do it. We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were thinking we were going to show up in tuxedos, but we were ready.”Following the match, Senator Celeste Amarilla took to Instagram to call Mbappé as “dumb”, “ugly” and “arrogant”, while using clearly racist language against the forward in a since-deleted post.Mbappé promptly reacted to the hate speech with a firm message on social media, describing Amarilla as “a despicable woman and unworthy of your position”.Meanwhile, Paraguay’s government released a statement “deploring and rejecting” Amarilla’s comments, reaffirming “its commitment to to fight against racism, xenophobia, intolerance, and any manifestation of hate or discrimination.”WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETS & OTHER PRIZESCompete against the world. | Sports IllustratedAmarilla Doubles Down With Open LetterAmarilla has now released a fresh statement in response to the backlash. However, while the open letter describes her racist rant as having been written in the “heat of the moment,” she did not explicitly apologize to Mbappé and use the opportunity to play the victim, writing that Mbappé hurt her and her country with his “contempt, arrogance, and poor manners.”Amarilla’s statement reads, in part: “The problem is between you and me. I have never said anything against France. On the contrary, I stand with France. I studied at a French school from the age of two until I was 17, where I completed my education.“The problem is with you. Your arrogance and contempt angered me long before the match, when you said, ‘If we have to put our hands in the dirt, then let’s do it.’ We are not stupid. We understood perfectly that by ‘the dirt,’ you meant the Paraguayan team, and the Paraguayan team represents all of us. Then you said you were going to remove our makeup. We understood that too. All of Paraguay remained silent, myself included. We endured it. During the match, your arrogance was obvious. Your contempt for every Paraguayan player was clear, as if they were beneath you.“My posts were written in the heat of the moment, with my blood boiling, the blood of a mixed heritage, a beautiful blend of Indigenous and Spanish ancestry that runs through my veins. I wrote them while watching you mock those extraordinary Paraguayan players who fought as equals until the final whistle. However, I immediately regretted responding to you with the same insults that I myself receive. I realised I was repeating the very behaviour I despise, so I deleted the post. I understand that my words offended you because humiliation hurts."Now I demand that you also retract your statements and apologize to me. I will not tolerate your violence either. You do not know me. You have no idea who I am, and you have no right to say that I AM A DESPICABLE WOMAN, UNWORTHY OF THE OFFICE I HOLD. “I am a Senator of the Paraguayan Nation, elected by the people. Before that, I was a National Deputy, also elected by the people. Thousands of Paraguayan men and women voted for me and consider me their voice. My foremost duty is to speak for the Paraguayan people, to say what they cannot say, and to defend my country with my life if necessary.”Amarilla signed off by calling Mbappé’s statement “political violence against a woman” and demanded a retraction “otherwise, I may pursue legal action for gender-based violence.”France Threaten Own Legal ActionFrance has defended its captain. | Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesFrance’s football federation has also released a statement announcing plans to take legal action.“The racist remarks made by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla targeting Kylian Mbappé are utterly abhorrent and unacceptable,” the statement read. “How can anyone make such comments? These remarks are criminal and reprehensible. They must be prosecuted, here and elsewhere.“The FFF is reporting the matter to the public prosecutor’s office with a view to legal proceedings. The Federation offers its full support to its captain, its players and, more broadly, to all victims of such abhorrent remarks. Now more than ever, the FFF is committed to combating racism and all forms of discrimination.”After beating Paraguay, France and Mbappé next face Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinal on July 9.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow