Media: Danish, Azeri Eurovision contestants may be disqualified

May 22, 2013 - 15:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The results of the Eurovision 2013 Song Contest may be reviewed in favor of Ukraine. The winning contestant Denmark, and the runner-up Azerbaijan have found themselves in the center of a scandal which put their victory in question, Inpress.ua said.

Recently, Denmark was accused of plagiarism by journalists who found similarities between the Eurovision entry “Only Teardrops” and “I Surrender” performed by K-Otic band in 2002. Also, as Lithuanian journalists revealed, Azerbaijan was paying people to vote for their contestant. At present, Emmelie de Forest and Farid Mammadov are in danger of disqualification, while Ukraine’s Zlata Ognevich may be announced a winner as a result.

However, the Vice President of Ukraine’s National Television Company expressed skepticism over the possibility of disqualification unless the contestants refuse from their titles out of embarrassment.

“Plagiarism is a very difficult accusation to prove,” Gazeta.ua quoted Valid Arfush as saying. “There hasn’t been a case of disqualification throughout the history of Eurovision, EBU being a conservative organization which prefers to stay away from scandals of any sort,” he said.