PARIS – French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera on Friday accused Argentinian players of being “inelegant winners” and “vulgar” for mocking her country’s star Kylian Mbappe after winning the World Cup final on penalties.

“As much as our French team knew how to lose with panache, so the manner in which this Argentinian team acted after this victory was not worthy of the match we saw,” the minister told French radio station RTL.

Oudea-Castera singled out goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was seen in the victory parade in Buenos Aires holding a baby doll with its face covered with a photo of Mbappe. The France striker had scored a hat-trick as Les Bleus twice fought back to take the game to a shoot-out.

“I find it pitiful,” said Oudea-Castera. “It’s just vulgar, inappropriate, really not up to the occasion. This Emiliano Martinez is not distinguishing himself. It is rather pathetic.”

She added that she may contact her Argentinian counterpart over the “vulgar” taunting and was pleased that the president of the French Football Federation (FFF) Noel Le Graet had already written to his Argentinian counterpart to complain of “abnormal excesses” in the celebrations.

The FFF has also said it intends to file complaints against French fans who posted racist comments on social media after Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni missed in the shoot-out and Kolo Muani squandered a chance late in extra time.

The Argentinian Embassy in Paris did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. AFP, REUTERS