Парагвайн сенатор Селесте Амариллагийн Килиан Мбаппед хандаж гаргасан арьс өнгөөр ялгаварлан гадуурхсан шинжтэй мэдэгдэл олон улсын анхаарлыг татлаа.
Францын шигшээ багийн довтлогч Килиан Мбаппе Парагвайн эсрэг тоглолтын үеэр талбай дээрх өдөөн хатгалгыг инээмсэглэн өнгөрөөсөн ч, тоглолтын дараах хувийн дайралтад хатуу байр суурь илэрхийлэв. Тэрээр Амариллагийн үйлдлийг илт арьс өнгөөр ялгаварласан, бодолгүй үйлдэл хэмээн тодорхойлсон юм. Энэхүү асуудал нь Францын ерөнхийлөгчийн мэдэгдэл болон Францын хөлбөмбөгийн холбооны хуулийн арга хэмжээ авах шийдвэрт хүргэв. Парагвайн засгийн газар уг үйл явдлыг эсэргүүцэж, өөрийн байр сууриа илэрхийлсэн бол Амарилла Мбаппег уучлалт гуйхгүй бол шүүхэд өгнө хэмээн сүрдүүлжээ.
Улс төрчид хөлбөмбөгийг өөрийн нэр хүндийг өсгөх хэрэгсэл болгон ашиглах нь Дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээний үеэр тоглогчдод дарамт болж байна. Дидье Дешам өмнөх туршлагадаа үндэслэн тоглогчдоо нийгмийн болон хүнлэг чанарын асуудлаар чөлөөтэй үзэл бодлоо илэрхийлэхийг үргэлж дэмждэг. Энэхүү таагүй нөхцөл байдлын маргааш Францын шигшээ баг бэлтгэлийн үеэр эв нэгдэлтэй байгаагаа харуулсан дүрс бичлэгийг олон нийтийн сүлжээнд байршуулж, талбай дээрх анхаарлаа хадгалахыг зорьсон байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
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It is highly doubtful many people outside of Paraguay had heard of Celeste Amarilla beforeher vile diatribe about Kylian Mbappe.
Her leech-like behaviour has granted her 15 minutes of infamy, but it requires being called out as exactly that — a blood-sucking act that feeds off the vibrant life force of another. The leech attaches itself to the host without invitation. The leech takes without giving.
As what appears to have been a manoeuvre of self-promotion, this is as cynical as it gets. Mbappe is a global superstar at the top of his game during the biggest global event happening. According to Google Trends, searches for Amarilla’s name rose by more than 5,000 per cent after she published an obscene attack on Mbappe. By choosing such a well-known target for her ultra-offensive bait, Amarilla would surely have been aware that it was likely to cause a stir beyond her own borders.
Unfortunately for Mbappe, whose build-up to the World Cup quarter-final would be far more serene without this, he has been forced to attend to it — whether he wanted to speak out or not, it immediately became a viral story and a lens through which people would regard the France striker this week.
When something deeply negative swirls around you, not of your own making, it can be a complicated dilemma to establish whether or not to tackle it publicly. Is it more powerful to rise above, to ignore, to cut off the supply of oxygen and attention? Or is it more powerful to engage and use a strong voice as an antidote to the kind of toxicity Amarilla brought into the public domain? Ultimately it has to be a personal decision. Mbappe made the decision to act.
External poison injected itself into his World Cup zone and Mbappe felt compelled to make his point. A line was crossed. During the match against Paraguay, which was marked by gamesmanship, Mbappe chose to laugh at footballing provocation on the pitch. That all took place within the norms of football discourse.Afterwards, he had no desire to be blase about such a personal attack.
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Bill Streicher)
This is not the first time he has used his own platform, his own reach, to engage in serious issues. He willingly responds, particularly on the issue of racism, with clarity and poise. The attack was so abhorrent it prompted a statement from France’s president, potential legal action on behalf of the French Football Federation, and an apology from the Paraguayan government, who have tried to distance themselves from Amarilla.
Such was the reaction to her views that thegovernment of Paraguay said it “deplores and rejects” her comments. Amarilla had responded to Mbappe calling her post “thoughtlessness” and “blatant racism” bydemanding an apology and for him to retract his statement, or she may take legal action.
It is not new for politicians to use football. It is an obvious trick to garner publicity, especially at a moment when it is so ubiquitous. Every screen, every advert, every opinion has that connection. This World Cup has demonstrated the dangers, particularly for players who become caught up in it.
Just as Mbappe does not invite these situations, it is a real shame for Folarin Balogun that he became an unwitting pawn in a bigger political game involving the President of the United States and the opaque machinations of FIFA at the highest level after receiving a soft red card. Elsewhere, it was difficult to watch the conditions the Iran team found themselves in, being at the centre of political tensions way beyond their expertise as high-calibre athletes.
Within the French team, they have had to absorb unwanted political opinion for too long. Didier Deschamps well remembers the atmosphere during the 1998 World Cup, when the Far Right in France tried to denigrate the best elements of the “Black-Blanc-Beur” mix which encapsulated the multiculturalism of modern France. The celebrations of the world champions in Paris at the end of it all provided the most euphoric response.
Deschamps himself has always been an advocate of allowing his players to speak freely, when they wish to, about human or social causes that matter to them. He has backed Mbappe to do so in the past and naturally will support him now.
The morning after the unpleasant distraction triggered by Amarilla, the French team posted on their social media a video of their players all smiles, hugs, and togetherness at training. “Bonne journee a tous,” was the accompanying text, or in its English version, “Have a great day everyone!” with a blue heart. The message was loud and clear.
Hopefully global interest in Amarilla will dwindle as quickly as it rose, while Mbappe continues to represent France with distinction.
