2026 Dünya Kupası: Eski Paraguaylı Kaleci Chilavert'in Fransa'ya Irkçı Saldırısı

Ahead of the Son 16 round match between Paraguay and Fransa, to be played on 4 Temmuz Cumartesi günü in Philadelphia during the 2026 Dünya Kupası, racist remarks made by former Paraguaylı goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert have become the center of attention. Known throughout his career for his free-kick and penalty goals, and possessing an eccentric character, Chilavert used scandalous language toward the French players on his social media account. These remarks sparked a massive controversy right before a critical match where both countries will face each other for a spot in the quarter-finals. Following the gentlemanly words of Paraguay Technical Director Gustavo Alfaro, who praised Fransa and highlighted his team's strengths, these statements once again exposed how the line of respect and tolerance in football has been crossed.

The starting point of the incident was France's legendary player Christophe Dugarry criticizing Paraguay's playing style on a radio program. Dugarry stated that Paraguay, who achieved a historic success by eliminating Almanya in the elimination round, was lacking offensively and would only try to defend, heavily criticizing the team's understanding of the game. Immediately after these comments, the 60-year-old Chilavert responded from his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, making an extremely disturbing reference to the match they played against Fransa in the 1998 Dünya Kupası. By openly describing the multicultural French national team, which has many teammates of different origins, as an 'African team', he engaged in a racist discourse that harms sports and unity.

Unfortunately, this latest racist outburst is not the first scandal Chilavert has been involved in. In Şubat ayında, when Benfica's Arjantinli player Gianluca Prestianni was in the spotlight for racist and homophobic remarks directed at Real Madrid'in Brezilyalı star Vinicius Junior, the Paraguaylı former goalkeeper exhibited a similar attitude. Openly defending Prestianni, Chilavert blamed Vinicius Junior and used sexist and discriminatory statements, claiming that football was becoming 'feminized'. Following this incident, UEFA severely punished Prestianni for his homophobic behavior, making it clear that hate speech in football will not be tolerated.

Kylian Mbappé, one of the long-standing players of the French national team, also became one of the names targeted by Chilavert. During a period when the former goalkeeper was acting in solidarity with the star player of the Spanish giant Real Madrid, he even interfered with Mbappé's private life, describing his living with a trans individual as 'abnormal'. Real Madrid'in Belçikalı successful goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois instantly reacted, emphasizing that Chilavert's hate-filled words have no place in the modern world. However, maintaining his stubborn attitude, Chilavert this time attacked Courtois and Belçika, sparking a new crisis by making insulting and unfounded claims about the country's administration and beliefs.

Parallel to these marginal attitudes on and off the pitch, Chilavert has frequently made headlines in recent years with his far-right views. Openly supporting former Brezilya Devlet Başkanı Jair Bolsonaro, the Paraguaylı also participated in the 2023 cumhurbaşkanlığı seçimleri in his own country, stepping onto the stage with ultra-conservative and nationalist promises. Adopting divisive rhetoric during his campaign, which was built on the promise of ending corruption, Chilavert failed to see the support he expected from the public and suffered a massive defeat by receiving only 0,8 percent of the vote in the first round. Today, he brings this political and ideological stance to the world stage through sports commentary, trying to create an agenda by pushing his criticisms beyond the boundaries of sports ethics.