Eurovision 2024 ends on Saturday evening, but that doesn’t mean that everything will go according to plan. A few hours before the final concert, the Dutch team, Joost Klein, who was supposed to sing the song “Europapa”, was disqualified. The EBU issued a statement regarding the singer.
Eurovision 2024. Netherlands disqualified!
Joost Klein was disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest after allegedly committing violence against one of the people working to organize the concert. The musician himself did not comment on the issue that the Eurovision media – and the Netherlands – have been discussing since Friday morning. Initially, the singer was only suspended for the duration of one of the stage rehearsals, which were to be assessed by the jurors. Now it is known that he will not play in Saturday’s final, because the Dutch delegation was disqualified.
EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, organizer of Eurovision, issued a statement:
Dutch artist Joost Klein will not compete in the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The Swedish police initiated an investigation following a complaint filed by one of the women working in the organization of the concert regarding the situation she was fed up with after Thursday’s semi-final performance. While proceedings are ongoing, it would not be appropriate for the musician to continue to compete. We would like to make it clear that, contrary to media information and speculation on social media, the situation does not involve another contestant or member of another delegation.
We maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding inappropriate behavior at our concert and we want it to be a safe place for employees and the Competition staff. In this light, Joost Klein’s behavior constitutes a violation of the rules of the Competition. The Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will take place with the participation of 25 participants.
Joost Klein was one of the favorites
Joost Klein’s song “Europapa” was one of the favorites in this year’s competition. She would have no chance of winning Eurovision, but she would undoubtedly be in first place – at least if we count the votes cast solely by viewers. Joost Klein in “Europapa” focused on pastiche and entertainment, and his performance can be classified as the so-called “joke entry” – i.e. entries made just for fun, not entirely seriously. It’s not a song that would later triumph on the radio, but “Europapa” captivated the crowds during rehearsals and during the semi-final concert.
Joost Klein was interrogated by the police on Friday and that’s when the crisis team of the Eurovision organizers met. According to reports, no one is considered a suspect, but this may change as police work progresses. Joost himself did not give any interviews on Friday and did not answer any questions from the press.
Source: Gazeta
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