The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has made public this Tuesday a strong statement against the "despicable" "racist and dehumanizing" attacks launched by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla against French forward Kylian Mbappé, remarking that it is not an "isolated case" in the context of the football World Cup.
"The racist and dehumanizing statements against the French footballer Kylian Mbappé by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla are despicable and, unfortunately, not an isolated case," the regional office for South America indicated in a statement.
In the same note, the organization warned that the episodes of racism recorded during the 2026 World Cup "reflect a broader phenomenon in football and sport in general," and has focused on the responsibility of public figures.
Thus, it has stressed that political leaders such as the Paraguayan senator "have a greater responsibility to oppose racism, discrimination, and hate speech in their speeches" and not to contribute to their dissemination.
"States and sports organizations must actively work to prevent acts of racism and any other form of discrimination. They must also ensure that independent and effective accountability mechanisms exist," insisted the Office of the High Commissioner, demanding concrete measures.
Similarly, it has pointed out that digital platforms and social networks "also have the responsibility to prevent and address racial discrimination and xenophobic abuse," emphasizing that they must adhere to international Human Rights standards.
For her part, senator Celeste Amarilla defended this Tuesday that with her racist insults after the World Cup round of 16 match between France and Paraguay, she intended to support the Paraguayan players who, she claims, were subjected to attacks during the match. Furthermore, she lashed out at the country's president, Santiago Peña, whom she accuses of giving in to the pressure from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.