Mbappe targeted by homophobic chants over transgender 'girlfriend'

Paris Saint-Germain FC and France national football team star Kylian Mbappe was the victim of homophobic abuse coming from a group of Argentina supporters in Qatar. The same group also made racist statements in a chant they sang on live television during a 2022 FIFA World Cup preview programme.

National teams as well as their fans have started arriving in Qatar, and the excitement is palpable in the air. Groups of fans are already taking to the streets, with many of them easily identifiable thanks to the national team colours or jerseys that they are wearing.

Various media outlets have taken the opportunity to cover what's happening on the ground, with vox populi type interviews being recorded from the streets. In one such interview, Argentine channel TyC Sports spoke to a group of Albiceleste fans, who appeared to be eager to share a chant that they had created against defending World Cup title holders, France.

The fans, all wearing Argentina shirts, started out by singing a line that criticises how the French squad is full of African players. "They play for France, but they're all from Angola," sang the Argentina fans. At this point, the reporter could be heard protesting in the background before the chant took an even more offensive turn.

The chant suddenly targets the PSG star, who had recently been rumoured to be dating Playboy's first transgender cover model, Ines Rau. While the two have been pictured together in Cannes, there is no confirmation about the real status of their relationship. Nevertheless, the rumours were enough for Mbappe to attract homophobic hate.

"They f*** transvestites like f***ing Mbappe" chanted the group, leading the reporter to take the microphone away and shout in protest. He then started to wave his hand, saying "censored" before the live broadcast was cut. The anchors listening in from the studio could be seen looking completely shocked and aghast at what they were hearing. One even had to cover the ears of one of his co-hosts. The presenters were clearly caught off-guard by the chant, but it was a good thing that the field reporter took action and immediately called for censorship.

Nevertheless, because it was live, the damage had already been done and the clip has been viewed and shared all over the world. Argentina, France and Mbappe have yet to react to the incident.