A television presenter has resigned following a live broadcast error in which she falsely announced the death of Argentine football star Lionel Messi’s father during a World Cup programme.
The incident happened during a segment on Luzu TV’s *El Show del Verano*, where presenter Florencia Peña reported that Jorge Messi had died. The statement was made on air without confirmation and was presented as breaking news.
Shortly after the broadcast, the claim was contradicted by the Messi family. They confirmed that Jorge Messi was alive and receiving medical care for an undisclosed condition. The family said he was under supervision and recovering, while criticising the circulation of unverified information about a private matter.
Peña later said she had relied on information passed to her during the live programme and did not independently verify it before repeating it on air. She issued an apology to the Messi family, expressing regret for the distress caused, and announced her resignation from Luzu TV.
In a statement, Luzu TV described the broadcast as a serious editorial failure. The network said the dissemination of sensitive, unverified claims on air was unacceptable and confirmed that internal disciplinary measures were underway.
The incident sparked wider criticism in Argentina, including comments from President Javier Milei, who condemned the handling of the report and described it as irresponsible.
The controversy unfolded during heightened attention on Messi at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Argentina captain had recently delivered a standout performance, scoring a hat-trick in his team’s opening match, which intensified public focus on his emotional state following the game.
Messi later said he had been dealing with personal difficulties unrelated to football, without providing further details.
