3 min readJun 21, 2026 01:57 PM IST An Argentinian TV presenter has quit her role after falsely reporting that Lionel Messi’s father had passed away after the country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Algeria. Florencia Pena made the claim on the Argentinian streaming channel Luzu TV, saying on a live broadcast that Messi’s father had died and that his death was “sudden”. “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,” she said. Pena later issued a public apology, saying the information had been relayed to her during the broadcast and that she believed it to be true. “I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast as verified by the production team of the show, and I trusted it,” she wrote on X on Friday. Pido perdón a la familia Messi por el momento espantoso que imagino que están viviendo. Estoy muy avergonzada de haber sido el vehículo para este dolor. …