TV presenter quits after falsely announcing the death of Lionel Messi’s father live on air | News off the field
An Argentinian television presenter resigned from his role after announcing incorrectly on live television Lionel MessiThe father had died during the 2026 of Argentina FIFA World Cup countrysideFlorencia Pena made the statement while appearing on streaming channel Luzu TV shortly after Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria. During the broadcast, he informed viewers that Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, had died unexpectedly.“I don’t want to bring bad news, but Messi’s father just died. It was sudden. In the middle of the World Cup,” he said on air.The report was quickly proven to be false, prompting Pena to issue a public apology and explain how the misinformation reached her during the live program. In a statement published on X, she said that she had been told that 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 production team of the show, and I trust it,” he wrote on Friday.“Even so, I took responsibility for being part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to step aside and end my participation in Luzu. I apologize again from the heart; I was wrong,” he added.Luzu TV also released a statement condemning the transmission of unverified information and confirming disciplinary action over the incident. The channel emphasized that the announcement of sensitive news without proper confirmation was unacceptable.“We at Luzu TV deeply regret what happened on air during the program El Show de Verano. For our channel, the transmission of sensitive information without proper verification is unacceptable.“Therefore, the management of Luzu TV decided to stop the work of all those responsible, and Florencia Pena decided to resign.“We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful and rigorous journalism.”Amid the controversy, Messi’s family released an update on Jorge Messi’s health, confirming that he is currently undergoing treatment for an undisclosed medical condition.“At this moment, he is under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favorably in the condition he is experiencing,” the family statement said.The incident unfolded shortly after Messi put in 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 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Messi appeared emotional during the game and later acknowledged that he had been dealing with “difficult days” due to personal circumstances not related to football.Argentina will continue their World Cup campaign against Austria on Monday.
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