All the commotion in Malmö. Due to the exclusion of the Dutch candidate Joost Klein, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the competition, disrupts the development of the final.
If the order of performance is not changed, there will be no song 5, the number assigned to the Netherlands, the organization announced. Therefore, the telehook will go directly from song 4 (from Luxembourg) to song 6 (from Israel).
The scores given by the jury during the second dress rehearsal on Friday were also recalculated, so that Holland received no points. The points received by the Netherlands were awarded to the other candidates based on their ranking.
“For example: if Holland were to occupy ninth place in a national jury, the song that occupied tenth place becomes ninth in the ranking and will receive 2 points. The one that occupied eleventh place becomes tenth and will receive 1 point”, the organization specifies in a press release.
“No one votes for song 5”
Dutch viewers can still vote in the final and the Dutch jury remains. But the Netherlands will not receive points in the final and the country will not appear in the table with all the results of the night.
The EBU is finally preparing to inform all its partners responsible for broadcasting the program that the Netherlands is no longer participating in the event and that it is therefore necessary to block the lines linked to song 5.
“We ask that no one vote for song 5,” the organization insisted in its press release. “If someone tries to vote for song 5, that vote will not be counted but there is a chance that person will be forced to pay the price for their message.”
“Shocked by the decision”
Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said in a statement sent to AFP that it considered the disqualification “disproportionate” and said it was “shocked by the decision” of the EBU. “We deeply regret this and will return to it later.”
The EBU explained in a statement that the Swedish police are investigating “a complaint made by a member of the production team following an incident that occurred after (Joost Klein’s performance) during the semi-final on Thursday night.
“While the judicial procedure continues, it would not be appropriate for him to continue participating in the competition,” stated the organization, recalling that it applies “a policy of zero tolerance regarding inappropriate behavior.”
Source: BFM TV
