Former Paraguay goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert sparked controversy by characterizing France's national football team as representing 'a squad from Africa' ahead of a World Cup encounter between the two nations. His comment, made during a social media discussion responding to another former player, was interpreted as a critical reference to the substantial number of French players with African heritage or immigrant backgrounds.

Philippe Diallo, president of the French football federation, publicly denounced Chilavert's remarks as racist, emphasizing that such statements contradict football's foundational principles of inclusion and unity. France subsequently defeated Paraguay 1-0 on the pitch, replicating the identical scoreline from their previous fixture in 1998 when Chilavert was an active competitor.