Scaloni Addresses False Report on Jorge Messi Before Austria Clash
Lionel Scaloni cut through the noise with the kind of clarity Argentina needed.
On the eve of a crucial World Cup group match against Austria in Arlington, Texas, the national team coach stepped in to shut down a storm that had nothing to do with tactics, line-ups or form — and everything to do with a shocking, false report about Lionel Messi’s father.
Scaloni closes ranks after false report on Jorge Messi
The Messi family confirmed that Jorge Messi is undergoing medical treatment and recovering well, after wild speculation was triggered by a fabricated report of his death. The rumour exploded during a live streaming show on Luzu TV, where presenter Florencia Pena wrongly announced that Jorge had died, while Messi was beginning his sixth World Cup campaign.
The news raced across social media in minutes. It was untrue, but the damage was immediate: distress for the family, confusion for fans, and an unnecessary cloud over Argentina’s preparations.
Scaloni wanted none of it.
“We're fine. We're ready to face tomorrow's match,” he said in his pre-match press conference, speaking before the Austria clash. “We firmly believe that it's the group that overcomes both good and bad situations. We know that it's always better to be with a friend. That's what we all feel, and he must feel it too. I don't want to add anything more on this subject; we're prepared for the match.”
It was a deliberate full stop. Protect the dressing room. Protect Messi. Move on.
Fallout at Luzu TV
There was no moving on quite so easily for the broadcaster at the centre of the fiasco.
Pena resigned from her role, saying she had been given the false information by her production team through her earpiece. Inside the company, the response was swift and ruthless. Producer Nicolas Occhiato confirmed that several staff members had been dismissed after the on-air blunder, as Luzu TV scrambled to contain the reputational damage from a mistake that crossed every ethical line.
The episode has become a cautionary tale in real time: in the rush to be first, the basic duty to be right was abandoned, with a family’s private anguish dragged into public view.
Focus back on the pitch
Argentina now attempt to drag the conversation firmly back to football. They face Austria with a chance to seal qualification for the round of 32, having opened their campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Algeria, lit up by a Messi hat-trick.
The football, when it has been allowed to breathe, has looked ominous.
Scaloni, though, expects that to be tested by an Austria side he clearly respects.
“Austria is a tough opponent, with very good players,” he said. “They press well, they're a direct team, and they had a great qualifying campaign. A team to be reckoned with. It will be a complicated match. We've both won, and that can make for a great spectacle. It will be difficult, tough.”
Argentina know what awaits: an aggressive press, long spells without the ball, and a rival confident enough to trade punches. For Scaloni, this is as much a psychological examination as a tactical one. How does his team react when the game turns frantic? When they are forced to suffer without possession? When the crowd feels the tension?
The answer, he insists, lies in that “group” he keeps coming back to — the collective that, in his view, must absorb both the chaos of a media storm and the pressure of a World Cup night in Texas.
The noise around Messi’s family has been loud, jarring and unnecessary. The response from inside Argentina’s camp has been simple: close ranks, trust the information from within, and let the football speak. Now it’s Austria’s turn to find out how loud that answer can be.
