According to Argentine media, the incident happened on the program "El Show del Verano". While broadcasting live, MC Florencia Pena suddenly announced that Mr. Jorge Messi had passed away and suggested that Lionel Messi may have to leave the Argentine national team halfway to return to his family.
This information quickly spread on social networks, causing panic among fans. However, just a few minutes later, the host admitted that there was no official source confirming it and said that the program was conducting verification.
Although it has been corrected, the initial statement still faced much criticism from Argentine public opinion. Before the wave of reactions, Florencia Pena posted a public apology letter and confirmed her decision to leave Luzu TV.
The female MC said that the information was transferred from the production crew while the program was broadcast live and she believed that this was verified information. However, Pena affirmed that she still had to take responsibility for the mistakes that occurred.
I apologize to Messi's family for what happened. I feel extremely ashamed to be the one to convey that information," Pena shared.
The program broadcasting unit also issued an official announcement admitting errors in the information verification stage. The television channel said that broadcasting sensitive information without full verification is unacceptable, and said that it has taken measures to handle the related individuals.
Meanwhile, Messi's family spoke out to deny the false rumors. According to the announced announcement, Mr. Jorge Messi, 68 years old, is having a health problem and is being monitored by doctors. His condition is said to be recovering positively.
Messi's family also called for respect for privacy and affirmed that only information published by relatives accurately reflects the health status of Mr. Jorge Messi.
Amidst off-field rumors, Lionel Messi still plays with the Argentine national team at the 2026 World Cup. In the opening match, the 39-year-old striker scored a hat-trick, making a great contribution to the defending champion's 3-0 victory over Algeria.
