'Scandalous' Action Around Lionel Messi Sparks Debate: 'There's Also a Code of Honor'

Florencia Peña found herself in hot water after a massive blunder involving Lionel Messi. The Argentine presenter erroneously reported on television that the superstar's father had passed away. This turned out to be completely false. Peña has since decided to resign immediately. "I am deeply ashamed to have been the cause of this pain," the Argentine later wrote on her social media.

The unfortunate situation was also discussed on Sportnieuws.nl's World Cup football podcast. Robert Maaskant and Ralf Seuntjens were in agreement about how the news was disseminated. "Argentina is quite good at that... It was the same with Diego Maradona. That's scandalous, honestly," Seuntjens reacted to the remarkable turn of events.

The 37-year-old striker finds it particularly distressing that such news is spread at all. "For such news to come out, that's already very sad. It's always painful and terrible, because you always have a close bond with your father," Seuntjens continued.

Maaskant concurred, emphasizing journalistic responsibility. "Normally, there's a code of honor in journalism: you have to be careful with matters not related to sports. When someone in your family is in a bad way, it affects you."

The former coach of clubs including NAC Breda and Wisla Krakow then shared a personal story. "My mother passed away three weeks ago, and my father is on the verge of passing," Maaskant openly stated. "That's tough, but playing sports, and in my case, making programs, is also a form of relaxation to get away from it all. Although, on this global stage, everyone is watching, of course. So I understand the request to stay away from such topics."

Maaskant then brought up Seuntjens' difficult period, who spent years recovering from his cancer diagnosis. The Seun of God therefore knows better than anyone what emotions can be unleashed. "I ultimately came through it well, but there were many tears," the Lommel SK striker concluded on the topic.

In the podcast, Maaskant and Seuntjens discuss the latest World Cup updates, from Canadian Koné's severe injury to Quinten Timber's concussion. The podcast can be listened to or watched daily from 7:30 AM on your favorite platform.

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