Part 11: 1990 (The Spanish... no, Italian Jury).
Continues tomorrow.
THE BIGGEST
CONTROVERSIES
Of the
EUROVISION
SONG CONTEST
(1956
- 2019)
From
its inaugural year, the Eurovision Song Contest has had more than its fair
share of controversial moments. This is a special look back on 30 significant upsets
in chronological order.
1990
The
Spanish…no, Italian Jury.
The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Zagreb in what was
formerly known as Yugoslavia. That year, France finished as runner-up with “White
And Black Blues”. The French entry gained 132 points. It shared second place with
Ireland’s “Somewhere In Europe”.
As the announcements of the votes began, there was confusion. For
some reason, the Italian jury identified itself as the Spanish jury! Curiously,
neither of its closest rivals on the leaderboard received a single point from Italy. As
the final points were announced, Italy emerged as the victor. The winning
entry, performed by Toto Cutugno, was “Insieme: 1992” with 149 points.
At the event’s conclusion, the French delegation protested the
Italian voting. This proved fruitless. Even if the Italian jury results were
disregarded, Italy finished far enough ahead to still snatch victory.
Furthermore, had Italy awarded either France or Ireland the maximum points, “Insieme:
1992” would still have won.
The triumphant song was timely. It dealt with a united Europe.
Little was expected from the entry. Many viewers were taken aback when Cutugno
was declared the winner.
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