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[CULTURE] · Argentina · 72 sources

Florencia Peña resigns after falsely announcing Jorge Messi’s death

Argentine TV host Florencia Peña announced on a live Luzu TV broadcast that Jorge Messi, father of football star Lionel Messi, had died. Within minutes the Messi family issued a statement correcting the report, confirming that Jorge Messi is alive, under medical supervision and showing “favourable evolution”. The erroneous announcement sparked widespread criticism and the family expressed “deep distress” over the insensitivity of the incident.

Luzu TV responded by terminating Peña and the production staff involved, describing the lapse as “unacceptable”. Peña posted a public apology, saying she had relied on unverified information from the program’s production team. Argentine President Javier Milei condemned the mistake, posting “If you mess with Messi, you mess with everyone”. Other officials, including Economy Minister Luis Caputo, also defended the Messi family and criticized the failure to verify the news.

The episode prompted further media discussion about journalistic responsibility during the 2026 World Cup, with fans in the United States gathering to show support for Messi amid the controversy.

Sources

about 2 months ago