Florencia Peña reaches settlement after fake report of Messi father's death

On June 18, Argentine actress Florencia Peña announced on air that Jorge Messi, the father of football star Lionel Messi, had died. The claim was false and spread rapidly on social media while Messi was hospitalized, creating a media uproar and personal distress for the player during the FIFA World Cup 2026. Peña later apologized via WhatsApp to Celia Cuccittini, Messi's mother, and a financial agreement was reached with her former employer Luzu TV. A promised coffee meeting between Peña and Cuccittini is to be held in Rosario. Television host Alejandro "Marley" Wiebe publicly stated that his long‑standing friendship with Peña was unchanged and that there was no fallout with fellow presenter Nico Occhiato, describing the controversy as exaggerated television hype. Peña was dismissed from Luzu TV following the incident.