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World Cup TV presenter resigns after causing outrage with Lionel Messi comments
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- World Cup TV presenter resigns after causing outrage with Lionel Messi comments
Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images
Florencia Peña has resigned from Luzu TV after falsely reporting that Lionel Messi 's father had died during Argentina 's World Cup campaign.
The error came after Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria , a night already heavy with emotion after Messi scored a hat trick.
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The broadcast turned a private family health issue into public speculation before the information had been verified.
Photo by Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Florencia Peña resigns after Lionel Messi father false report
A TouchlineX post said Peña resigned after wrongly announcing Jorge Messi's death live on Luzu TV during El Show del Verano.
Peña delivered the false claim on air, saying: "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."
The report spread quickly before it was corrected. The Messi family later said Jorge Messi was alive, under medical supervision and recovering from an undisclosed health issue.
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Peña apologized directly to the family and said: "I apologise to the Messi family. I am deeply ashamed to have been involved in this mistake."
She also explained how the error reached air, saying: "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."
Her resignation statement accepted her own role in the damage. "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 apologise again from the heart; I was wrong."
Lionel Messi World Cup hat trick made Luzu TV mistake worse
The timing made the error more damaging because Messi had just carried Argentina through its opening World Cup match.
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Argentina beat Algeria 3-0, with Messi scoring all three goals. He appeared emotional during the game and later said he had experienced difficult days for personal reasons unrelated to soccer.
Luzu TV apologized and said broadcasting sensitive information without proper verification was unacceptable. Nicolás Occhiato said the channel would remove those responsible and reaffirmed its commitment to rigorous journalism.
Argentina president Javier Milei also criticized the broadcast on X, calling it "trash talk" and condemning the use of unverified claims about a citizen's private life.
Peña said the information was handed to her as checked news. That may explain the mistake, but it does not soften the lesson: live television still needs a pause before turning rumor into fact.
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