Misleading news involving Lionel Messi’s father triggered a significant crisis on one of Argentina’s main streaming platforms, amid expectations for the 2026 World Cup.
This Thursday (18), Luzu TV announced the departure of presenter Florencia Peña and the entire production team of the program “El Show del Verano”. The measure was taken after the erroneous publication of the alleged death of Jorge Horacio Messi, father of the renowned captain of the Argentine national team.
The episode occurred during a live broadcast, where Florencia interrupted the program to announce the death of Jorge Messi. She also stated that the player would need to leave Argentina’s concentration in the United States to return to the country and attend his father’s funeral.
However, the information was completely false and quickly generated great repercussions on social media, in addition to causing intense concern among fans and members of the Argentine delegation.
In response to the rumors circulating, the Messi family issued an official statement to clarify the situation and put an end to speculation. The note detailed that Jorge Horacio Messi is facing a health problem, but is under medical supervision and is progressing positively. This demonstration made public information that had been treated confidentially, precisely to contain the spread of rumors in the last few hours and preserve family privacy in the face of media speculation.
“The Messi family informs that Jorge has a health problem. He is under medical supervision, recovering and evolving favorably,” the statement said. In another section, family members expressed their deep indignation at the lack of sensitivity, respect and ethics with which some people approached a strictly private and family matter.