"Euro-Farce", "East-Vision" and "Mafia"
maltastar.com team 12 May 2007
The Eurovision semi-final not only didn't go down well with the Maltese, but media from eliminated countries called the spectacle “a Euro-Farce”, “Mafia” and “East-Vision”.
Many big guns, including Switzerland, Netherlands and Norway were eliminated in the semi-final as the media from the eliminated countries plead with the organisers, the European Broadcasting Union, to change the unjust format.
The Cyprus Mail reported that “the blocking of Eastern Europe worked perfectly once again” while the Icelandic media blasted the East European countries for their “bloc vote”.
Icelandic contestant Eirikkur Hauksson fumed: “I will never participate in the Eurovision again after this.”
Icelandic media RUF reported that Hauksson branded the Eurovision “Mafia”and that the competition was “bought” by the Eastern countries.
The other eliminated participants from North Europe, Denmark and Norway, were also vocal in their anger of the the lack of Westerners who qualified to the finals.
Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reports of a storm of reactions from the television viewers in the three Scandinavian countries, stating that something has to be done about the eastern dominance.
Edsilia Rombley fumed: "We had one of the best acts and we should have been in the final. But when you see that only East Bloc countries are advancing, what can you do?"
"After the seventh finalist was announced, I just didn't have any hope anymore," she said on Thursday evening after the semi-final.
"Everyone I thought was good did not advance. We just looked at each other and laughed in the end." The singer says many Western European participants came to her and said it was unfair that she had not been chosen. "None of them wants to take part again next year."
The Dutch Press hailed the performance of their package, but seriously questioned the fairness of the competition.
A Dutch Radio station reported: “The outcome, which saw none of the semi-finalists from the west of Europe make their way into the final has again famed the flames of an ongoing discussion - perhaps complaint would be a more apt term - about the centre of balance in this 51-year-old event”
Dutch newspaper Telegraaf reported that it is “disappointing” that the solid Dutch entry didn’t qualify and that “‘it’s rather notable that [only] nine eastern European countries and Turkey managed to get enough votes from the public”.
Swiss TV reported that the result was “unfair” and “frustrating” while Austrian newspapers demanded a review calling the Eurovision “unbalanced”.
Belgium e-newspaper Belgovision reported that it is quite surprising that only Eastern European countries managed to qualify for the finals.