The Senate of Paraguay condemned this Wednesday “the discriminatory and racist expressions” of Senator Celeste Amarilla against the French soccer player Kylian Mbappé, through a resolution approved by a majority, despite the support that some legislators expressed for the congresswoman.
After more than five hours of deliberation, the Upper House also expressed its “absolute rejection” of any form of racism and discrimination, and made it clear that Amarilla’s statements do not represent the official position of the Paraguayan Congress.
The controversy originated last Saturday, when the senator published offensive comments against Mbappé on her social networks, which were described as racist by the UN, the French Football Federation and the president of France. Emmanuel Macron.
Amarilla reacted after Paraguay’s elimination in the round of 16 of the World Cup, after losing 0-1 to France with a penalty goal scored by Mbappé. According to the legislator, the player showed an “arrogant” attitude during the match.
Far from moderating his position, Amarilla raised the tone in the Senate session and once again launched insults against the striker, in addition to rejecting France being associated with his figure. “I refuse to reduce all that enormous France, with its cultural, artistic and democratic legacy, to Mbappé,” express.
Supports and criticisms
Senator Yolanda Paredes supported Amarilla and assured that the French soccer player was “racist and xenophobic” during the match, accusing him of trying to “humiliate” the Paraguayan players.
He also questioned the position of international organizations such as the UN, pointing out that they did not comment – according to their criteria – on the player’s alleged grievances towards Paraguay.
Along the same lines, Senator Líder Amarilla stated that the Paraguayan soccer players were “humiliated” before, during and after the match, and justified his colleague’s statements as a reaction of indignation.
“He did not use the appropriate terms, but he expressed the feelings of many Paraguayans,” he indicated. On the contrary, the president of Congress, Basilio Núñez, forcefully rejected the senator’s words and recommended that she become “owner of her silence.”
“For me, the senator’s publications are not bad, they are very bad and do not represent what the majority of Paraguayans think,” he said, while showing a symbolic red card against “all those who are in favor of racism.”