An Argentinian television host has stepped down from her streaming programme after mistakenly announcing the death of Lionel Messi’s father. The incident occurred during Argentina's World Cup campaign, and the host attributed the blunder to unverified details transmitted via her earpiece.

Florencia Pena, who hosted "El Show del Verano" on Luzu TV, made her resignation public via social media. On X, Pena took partial accountability for the error, explaining that she repeated the false news on air after a producer relayed it to her during a live broadcast. She offered a sincere apology to the Messi family, expressing deep shame for causing them distress.

 

The Messi family and Luzu TV respond

Following the widespread online rumours, the Messi family issued a clarifying statement. They noted that Lionel's father, Jorge Messi, is currently under medical supervision for a health issue but is showing favourable signs of recovery. The family emphasised that only immediate relatives possess reliable information about Jorge’s health and condemned the lack of sensitivity and respect shown by certain individuals regarding a private family matter.

In the wake of the broadcast, Luzu TV founder and general producer Nocolas Occhiato announced that the network had fired all personnel responsible for airing the unverified claims. NBC News quoted Occhiato as saying on X that Luzu TV "deeply regret what happened" and considered it "unacceptable to broadcast sensitive information without proper prior verification”. Occhiato did not specify the exact number of employees terminated.

The controversy unfolded shortly after Lionel Messi tied Miroslav Klose's World Cup scoring record of 16 goals by netting a hat trick against Algeria. Argentina's next tournament match is scheduled against Austria at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.