Live TV disaster: Presenter falsely reports death of Messi's father

What started as a breaking news announcement quickly turned into one of Argentine television's biggest on-air disasters of the year.

Argentine presenter Florencia Peña has resigned from Luzu TV after falsely announcing during a live broadcast that Jorge Messi had died.

The claim was made during an episode of El Show del Verano after Peña received information through her earpiece from the programme's production team. Believing the information to be accurate, she repeated it live on air.

There was just one problem.

The report was completely false.

Within minutes, confusion spread across social media as fans rushed to verify the news. About eight minutes after the original announcement, Peña retracted the statement.

Soon afterward, members of the Messi family stepped in to set the record straight, confirming that Jorge Messi was alive and receiving medical care.

The fallout was immediate.

Peña later issued a public apology, saying she felt ashamed for becoming the vehicle through which the false report spread. While she explained that the information came from the show's production team, she said she still accepted responsibility for repeating it and decided to leave the network.

The presenter also reportedly contacted Celia Cuccittini personally to apologise for the distress caused to the family.

Meanwhile, Luzu TV released its own statement, describing the incident as unacceptable and stressing that sensitive information should never be broadcast without proper verification.

The channel also announced that it had severed ties with the production staff responsible for the mistake.

The controversy unfolded at a time when Lionel Messi is once again dominating headlines during Argentina's FIFA World Cup campaign.

But for a few chaotic hours, football took a back seat as a false report sparked panic among fans and left a television presenter without a job.

In an era where breaking news travels around the world in seconds, the incident has become a stark reminder of what can happen when speed beats verification.