Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla has claimed that her Instagram account was hacked after facing widespread criticism over a series of racist comments directed at France captain Kylian Mbappe following their clash at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Gatekeepers News reports that the controversy began after France secured a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 32, with Mbappe converting a second-half penalty to send his side into the next round. Tensions flared after the Real Madrid forward appeared to ignore a handshake from Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill at the final whistle.
Shortly after the match, Amarilla launched a scathing attack on Mbappe in a post on X, referring to him as a “colonised Cameroonian pretending to be French” and making another offensive remark about his upbringing.
Although the post was later deleted, screenshots circulated widely online, triggering condemnation from football fans, political figures and Paraguayan authorities.
As criticism mounted, similar posts targeting Mbappe continued to appear on Amarilla’s Instagram account. In response, the senator announced on Thursday that her Instagram page had been compromised and urged the public to disregard any content published from that point onward.
“I am announcing that my Instagram account has been hacked, possibly since this morning,” she wrote, adding that she had begun taking steps to secure the account and protect her followers.
However, on Friday, Amarilla returned to X to announce that she had regained access to her Instagram account.
In a fresh post, she appeared to mock the backlash, writing that “the French can keep being annoying,” a comment that further fuelled criticism over her handling of the controversy.
