Chilavert responds to Dujarri’s insulting statements.

Legendary Paraguayan goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert has sparked widespread controversy with a provocative comment about the French national team, a day before his country’s match against France in the 2026 World Cup final, in response to provocative comments made by France’s Christophe Dugarry.

Chilavert said on his social networks. “At the 1998 World Cup, we faced the French, and now Paraguay will face the African team,” clearly alluding to the ethnic diversity of the French national team.

Chilavert’s controversial response came after Dujardin, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, disparaged Paraguay’s national team in an interview with Radio Monte Carlo. The former striker said: “The Paraguayan team will be defeated, they will be humiliated. They will want to protect themselves because they are helpless, really helpless. I repeat that twice to make it clear, offensively, they are a disaster.”

Not only did the former Velez player ignore those words, he also took to social media platforms to recall the match that brought the two countries together in the Round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup, where France beat fellow Paraguayans 1-0 to win the UEFA Nations League title in extra time thanks to Laurent Blanc’s golden goal in the 23rd minute.

This latest controversy adds to a series of confrontations Chilavert has been involved in recently. In recent days, he has engaged in a bitter public confrontation with coach Gustavo Alfaro, criticizing his current role in the national team, as well as questioning the abilities of goalkeeper Orlando Gil, prompting the player’s wife to publicly defend him.

Paraguay and France meet at the Philadelphia Stadium today, Saturday, for a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, in a clash that will see unprecedented tension off the pitch before it begins on it.