TV presenter resigns after falsely reporting Lionel Messi's father

An Argentine television presenter has resigned after falsely reporting that Lionel Messi's father had died during Argentina's first World Cup match. Florencia Pena made the claim during a live broadcast on the streaming channel Luzu TV, shortly after Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria in their opening group game.

"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," Pena said while hosting the program. The report quickly spread across social media before Pena clarified that the information had not been confirmed.

Messi family responds

The Messi family later issued a statement confirming that Jorge Messi, the player's father, is receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed health condition. The statement said the 68-year-old is under medical supervision and recovering, while criticizing speculation surrounding his health and calling for privacy during a difficult period.

Presenter apologizes and resigns

Pena apologized publicly and said the information had been passed to her during the program as if it were verified news. "I apologize to the Messi family," she said in a statement. "I am deeply ashamed to have been involved in this mistake."

The 51-year-old television personality and actress later explained that she was given unverified information. "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," Pena wrote on social media on Thursday. "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. I apologize again from the heart; I was wrong."

Channel takes disciplinary action

Luzu TV also apologized and announced disciplinary action following the incident, stating that the dissemination of sensitive information without proper verification was unacceptable. 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."

Widespread criticism

The false report triggered widespread criticism across Argentina, with many supporters condemning the failure to verify the information before it was broadcast. Argentina's President Javier Milei called it "trash talk" on X, saying that Pena's "outrageous and unscrupulous, unverified statements on a streaming channel, which would still be outrageous even if the information had been true, since they concern a citizen's private life, remind us of the impunity with which some individuals believe they can operate simply because they have a microphone or a pen in their hand."

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. Argentina continue their World Cup campaign against Austria on Monday at 18:00 BST.