An Argentine television presenter has resigned after falsely announcing live on air that the father of Lionel Messi had died, sparking outrage across the country.
Florencia Pena made the claim during a broadcast on Luzu TV following Argentina’s opening World Cup group game win over Algeria. “I don’t want to bring bad news, but Messi’s father has just passed away. It was sudden. In the middle of the World Cup,” she said.
“Argentine TV presenter Florencia Pena resigned after falsely reporting Lionel Messi's father had died during a live broadcast.”
The report ricocheted across social media before Pena clarified the information had not been confirmed. The Messi family later issued a statement confirming the player’s father, Jorge Messi, is receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed health condition. The 68-year-old is under medical supervision and recovering, the statement said, while criticising speculation surrounding his health and calling for privacy.
Pena apologised publicly. “I apologise to the Messi family,” she said. “I am deeply ashamed to have been involved in this mistake.” The 51-year-old television personality said the information had been passed to her during the programme as if it was verified news. “I have to clarify that this false information was given to me live on air as if it had been checked by the show’s production team, and I trusted it,” she wrote on social media. “Even so, I take responsibility for being part of the mistake and that is why I decided to step aside and end my participation in Luzu.”
Luzu TV also apologised and announced disciplinary action. Nicolas Occhiato, the show’s host and producer, said: “We at Luzu TV deeply regret what happened on the air during the program El Show de Verano. For our channel, the broadcast of sensitive information without proper prior verification is unacceptable. For this reason, Luzu TV management has decided to terminate the employment of all those responsible, and Florencia Pena has decided to step down. We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful, and rigorous journalism.”
The controversy came after Messi scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. The 38-year-old appeared emotional during the match and later said he had experienced “difficult days” for personal reasons unrelated to football. The false report triggered widespread criticism across Argentina, with many supporters condemning the failure to verify the information before it was broadcast.