Presenter Resigns After Falsely Claiming Lionel Messi's Father Had Passed Away

James is a Senior Editor for GIVEMESPORT with over eight years of experience in the industry.

After graduating from the University of Southampton in 2016 with a degree in history, he joined the company as an Academy member in July 2017 and, after a short time working as a freelancer, was given a full-time role in February 2018.

He primarily covers the biggest stories in the football world but is also comfortable reporting on a variety of other sports including darts, golf, Formula 1, tennis, boxing and athletics.

He has covered some massive events during his time at GIVEMESPORT, including numerous Champions League and World Cup finals, as well as the Olympics in 2020 and 2024.

Lionel Messi was extremely emotional during Argentina's victory over Algeria at the 2026 World Cup earlier this week.

The Argentine, widely considered as the greatest footballer of all-time, scored a brilliant hat-trick as Lionel Scaloni's side made the perfect start to their title defence.

Messi was spotted wiping away tears after his opening goal in the 18th minute. When asked why he was so emotional after the match, the 38-year-old said 'he had gone through some difficult days' recently and that it was 'completely unrelated to football'.

On Thursday, the Messi family released a statement revealing that Lionel's father, Jorge, was 'going through a health situation'.

It read: “The Messi family reports that Jorge is going through a health situation. At this time, he is under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favourably within his condition.

“In light of the reports, rumours, and speculation that have circulated in recent hours, the family wishes to express its deep discomfort with the lack of sensitivity, respect, and decency with which some people have treated a situation that is strictly private and family-related.

“Only his closest family has real and accurate information about Jorge’s condition. Therefore, any version, statement, or information that does not come from the family itself and its corresponding channels should not be considered valid or truthful.

“At times like this, we ask for responsibility, prudence, and humanity. A person’s health and the peace of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest.

“We sincerely appreciate the expressions of support, respect, and concern we have received, and we ask that the privacy, confidentiality, and intimacy of Jorge and his entire family be respected during this process. Any relevant updates will be communicated in due course by the family and through the appropriate channels.”

The Messi family released the statement hours after Argentine TV presenter Florencia Pena falsely claimed on Luzu TV’s El Show del Verano that Jorge had passed away. She said on air, per the Sun:

“I don’t want to break bad news, but Messi’s father just died. Right in the middle of the World Cup, he’s going to have to leave.”

Shortly after the Messi family's statement, Pena released a statement of her own apologising for her comments and announcing that she had resigned from her position. She said:

"I apologise to the Messi family for the awful moment I imagine they are going through. I am deeply ashamed to have been the vehicle for this pain.

"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.

"Even so, I take responsibility for being part of the mistake, and that's why I decided to step aside and end my participation in Luzu. I apologise again from the heart; I was wrong."

Luzu YV have condemned Pena's 'unacceptable' comments. Their statement read:

"We deeply regret the incident that occurred on air during the programme. For our channel, broadcasting sensitive information without proper prior verification is unacceptable.

"Consequently, Luzu TV management has decided to part ways with all those responsible, and Florencia Pena has decided to step aside. We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful, and rigorous communication."

Messi and Argentina will next be in action on Monday, June 22, when they take on Austria at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.