Argentine TV host apologizes to Messi and leaves her position

A major scandal erupted during a live broadcast on one of Argentina's online resources: 52-year-old actress and TV host Florencia Peña announced the death of Jorge Messi, the father of the national team captain.

The information spread rapidly across the internet, but it soon became clear that the news was fabricated.

Public reaction was immediate and highly indignant. The channel's administration issued official apologies to Lionel Messi and his family, and the producers who had passed unverified information to the host were suspended from work. Peña herself, through her social media accounts, acknowledged that she bore part of the blame and announced her decision to leave the project. She apologized to the footballer's family for the horror they had endured, expressed deep regret and shame for inadvertently causing pain. The host also explained that the false information had been provided to her during the stream by the program's production team as credible, and she had not doubted its veracity. Nevertheless, she took a share of responsibility for what happened and stated that she was stepping away from broadcasts and ending her participation in the show, once again asking forgiveness for the mistake.

This unpleasant episode unfolded against an already difficult emotional backdrop surrounding Messi. Earlier, during the match against Algeria, where the Argentine scored a hat trick, Lionel could not hold back tears after the first goal. Later, in a conversation with the press, he explained that his emotions were not caused by the World Cup or the game results.