Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has expressed his annoyance after a far-right Paraguay Senator refused to apologize for her “racist” statement at France forward, Kylian Mbappe.
The Paraguayan Senator, in her statement following her country’s defeat to France in the World Cup, said, the Real Madrid forward “sucked on coconuts instead of breast milk and only knew chimpanzees”.
France clinched a lone goal victory over Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 collision on Saturday 4 July, 2026 in Philadelphia, United States (US), and it was Mbappe who netted the winner in the 70th minute from the penalty spot.
The game was massively dominated by Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus, however, the defense of the South Americans was too hard for the two-time World Cup Winners to break through.
After her racist statement against the former PSG forward, the Paraguayan Senator, Celeste Amarilla, told the press, “I don’t have to apologize to Mbappe”.
Reacting to Amarilla’s statement, which was posted on X by Daniel Mayakovski (@DaniMayakovski), WHO DG, Ghebreyesus, said, “What a disgrace!”.
He further said, “Racism is a violation of basic human dignity”; and that, public figures are saddled with the responsibility to “reject hatred, not rationalize it”.
Ghebreyesus called on Amarilla to apologize to Mbappe. He said, “Kylian Mbappé deserves an apology”.
Mayakovski posted:
“”I don’t have to apologize to Mbappé for saying he sucked on coconuts instead of breast milk and only knew chimpanzees. I come from a society where they beat gays and calling someone a ‘shitty nigger’ was the most usual thing.”
“Celeste Amarilla, a far-right Paraguayan senator, stated that she doesn’t have to ask forgiveness from the French player Mbappé, after seriously insulting him in a racist manner.
“To what extent the racist disease reaches in this society, to believe yourself Aryan for being just a little less Black than the one next to you.”
Ghebreyesus quoted Mayakovski’s post and commented: “What a disgrace! Racism is not a joke, a personality trait, or an excuse rooted in ‘where I come from.’
“It’s a violation of basic human dignity, full stop. Public figures, especially elected officials, have a heightened responsibility to reject hatred, not rationalize it.
“Kylian Mbappé deserves an apology, and so does everyone who has been targeted by this kind of language. Human dignity for all is not a slogan. It’s a commitment.”
The FIFA World Cup 2026 resumes on Thursday 9 July, 2026 after a one-way break with the quarter final showdown between France and Morocco at 21:00 (WAT) at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, United States (US).
Morocco, only surviving African team in tournament, reached the last-8 after cruising past co-hosts, Canada, 3-0 in the Round of 16 match on Saturday 4 July, 2026 in Houston, US.
The Convo:
What a disgrace! Racism is not a joke, a personality trait, or an excuse rooted in ‘where I come from.’ It’s a violation of basic human dignity, full stop. Public figures, especially elected officials, have a heightened responsibility to reject hatred, not rationalize it. Kylian… https://t.co/Ap0GMtMXQl
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 8, 2026
