The TV presenter quit after falsely announcing the death of Lionel Messi’s father on live broadcast

Lionel Mess of Argentina (AP Photo) An Argentinian TV presenter has stepped down from her role after incorrectly announcing on live TV that Lionel Messi’s father had died during Argentina’s 2026 World Cup campaign.Florencia Pena made the announcement when she appeared on streaming channel Luzu TV shortly after Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria. During the broadcast, she informed viewers that Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, had died unexpectedly.“I don’t want to break bad news, but Messi’s father just died. It was sudden. In the middle of the World Cup,” she said on air.The report was quickly proven false, prompting Pena to issue a public apology and explain how the misinformation reached her during the live program. In a statement posted on X, she said she was told the information had already been verified by the show’s production team.“I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified by the show’s production team and I believed it,” she wrote on Friday.“Even so, I take responsibility for being part of the mistake, which is why I decided to step back and end my participation in Luz. Once again, I apologize from the bottom of my heart, I was wrong,” she added.Luzu TV also issued a statement condemning the broadcast of unverified information and confirming disciplinary action over the incident. The channel emphasized that reporting sensitive messages without proper confirmation is unacceptable.“At Luzu TV, we deeply regret what happened on air during El Show de Verano. Broadcasting sensitive information without proper prior verification is unacceptable for our channel.”“For this reason, the management of Luzu TV has decided to terminate the employment of all those responsible, and Florencia Pena has decided to resign.“We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful and consistent journalism.”Amid this controversy, Messi’s family released an update on Jorge Messi’s health, confirming that he is currently receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition.“He is currently under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favorably with the condition he is experiencing,” the family said in a statement.The incident came just hours after Messi produced another memorable performance for Argentina. The 38-year-old captain scored a hat-trick in his side’s 3-0 win over Algeria in their opening match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Messi appeared emotional during the game and later admitted he had been having “difficult days” due to personal circumstances unrelated to football.Argentina will continue their World Cup campaign against Austria on Monday.