Christophe Dugarry, world champion with France in 1998, held nothing back before the round-of-16 clash: he said Paraguay would be “thrashed, humiliated”. José Luis Chilavert, the Albirroja’s legendary goalkeeper, did not take long to respond.
“You’re right, at the 98 World Cup we faced the French and now Paraguay will face an African team”, Chilavert wrote on social media, taking direct aim at the African ancestry of several players in the French squad. The remark went viral within minutes, with thousands of reactions split between those who defended it as football-rivalry humor and those who accused him of crossing a line.
It is not the first public feud involving the former Paraguayan goalkeeper: he had previously already clashed with coach Gustavo Alfaro and with former representative Orlando Gill. Paraguay comes into this matchup after eliminating Germany on penalties, so the tension on the field promises to be as intense as what has already erupted off it.