Paraguay's Senate passed a formal motion of condemnation against Senator Celeste Amarilla on Wednesday after she posted a series of racist comments on social media targeting French footballer Kylian Mbappé following Paraguay's World Cup round-of-16 defeat to France on Saturday. Remarkably, Amarilla used an expletive against Mbappé again during the very Senate session at which she was being censured. The case has drawn widespread condemnation: Mbappé himself called Amarilla a "despicable woman" unworthy of public office, while the French Football Federation said it would refer the matter to prosecutors, and President Emmanuel Macron offered the player his "full support," writing that Mbappé had scored "one more goal — this time against racism."

Amarilla had mocked the French captain's origins, upbringing, and appearance after he converted the winning penalty to send France through to the quarterfinals, where they face Morocco. Although she later issued a bilingual apology on social media, saying she regretted insulting him with the same slurs she had experienced as a mixed-race person, her conduct during the Senate session made the apology ring hollow. The Paraguayan government distanced itself from her remarks, stating they were "contrary to the values and principles" the country promotes and do not represent either the government or its people.