TV presenter quits after falsely announcing the death of Lionel Messi’s father live on air Off the field News:
An Argentinian television presenter resigned from his role after falsely announcing on live television that: Lionel MessiHis father died in Argentina in 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.Florencia Pena made the claim while appearing on streaming channel Luzu TV shortly after Argentina’s opening World Cup match against Algeria. During the broadcast, he informed the viewers that Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, died unexpectedly.“I don’t want to bring bad news, but Messi’s father recently died. Suddenly. In the middle of the World Cup,” he said on the air.The report was quickly proven false, prompting Pena to issue a public apology and explain how the misinformation reached him during the live program. In a statement posted by X, he said he was told that the information had been verified by the show’s production team.“I must clarify that this false information was given to me during the live broadcast as confirmed by the production team of the show, and I believe it,” he wrote on Friday.“However, I have the responsibility to be part of the mistake, and that’s why I decided to leave and end my participation in Luzu. I apologize from the heart; I was wrong,” he added.Luzu TV also released a statement condemning the broadcast of unverified information and confirming the disciplinary action on the incident. The channel emphasized that reporting sensitive news without proper confirmation is unacceptable.“We at Luzu TV deeply regret what happened on air during the program El Show de Verano. For our channel, it is unacceptable to broadcast sensitive information without proper verification.“Because of this, the management of Luzu TV has decided to fire all those responsible, and Florencia Pena has decided to resign.“We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful, and rigorous journalism.”Amid the controversy, Messi’s family issued an update on Jorge Messi’s health, confirming that he is currently receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition.“At this time, he is under medical supervision, recovering and progressing well within the condition he is experiencing,” the family statement said.The incident happened just hours after Messi gave 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 admitted that he was facing “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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