The United Nations is now speaking out strongly against racist incidents that have occurred surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
France star Kylian Mbappé was at the center of a racist controversy after Paraguayan Sen. Celeste Amarilla used insulting language to attack his intelligence and Cameroonian background after he scored the lone goal with a penalty kick in his nation’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay on July 4 in Philadelphia.
United Nations spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan released a statement Tuesday to address the incident and broader concerns of racism in sports.
“The racist and dehumanising remarks against French footballer Kylian Mbappé by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla are despicable and, regrettably, not isolated,” Al-Kheetan said in the statement.
“Reports of racist incidents during the FIFA World Cup 2026 reflect a wider phenomenon across football and sports more broadly.
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“Public officials have a heightened responsibility to stand against racism, discrimination and hate speech in their discourse,” Al-Kheetan continued. “States and sports organisations must actively work to prevent acts of racism and any other form of discrimination.
“They should also ensure that there are independent and effective accountability mechanisms in place.
“Social media companies also have a responsibility to prevent and address racial discrimination and xenophobic abuse on their platforms, in accordance with international human rights standards.”
Mbappé previously called Amarilla “a despicable woman and unworthy of your position” after her initial racist remarks on X, which she deleted following backlash across the sports and political world, including from Amarilla’s own government.
Amarilla responded again, though, in a bizarre open letter to the French striker demanding that he now apologize to her for his scathing reply.
“This is gender-based violence, plain and simple,” Amarilla wrote. “It is political violence against a woman who reached her position through the votes of her people.
“Retract your remarks, honour your French citizenship and apologise to me. Otherwise, I may begin legal proceedings on the grounds of gender-based violence.”
Two players, Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié and Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron, at the 2026 World Cup have been given a red card and ejected from matches due to a new rule emphasis from FIFA to combat racism.
Players are subject to an automatic red card if they are seen covering their mouths with their jersey in order to hide what they are saying to an opponent on the field. This stems from a February incident when Brazilian forward Vinicus Junior accused Gianluca Prestianni of using this tactic to make racist remarks in a UEFA Champions League match.
France and Mbappé play in the World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco on July 9 with a chance to be among the final four teams standing to raise the trophy.
Win or lose, Amarilla likely be waiting the rest of her life for that Mbappé apology.