Eurovision organizers say they “hope” Bambie Thug will perform in Saturday’s grand final

Ireland’s Eurovision contender Bambie Thug said they missed the dress rehearsal after a “situation” required “urgent attention” from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). On their Instagram story, they wrote: “Dear Coven, There was a situation while we were waiting to go on stage for the flag parade rehearsal which we felt needed urgent attention from the EBU – the EBU has taken up the matter seriously and we were in a discussion about the steps to be taken.

“That means I missed my dress rehearsal – I’m really sorry for the fans who came to see me. Hope to see you on stage tonight.”

In response, Eurovision organizers stated: “Bambie Thug did not perform in dress rehearsal three and footage of their performance from dress rehearsal two was used in its place. They missed the dress rehearsal due to a situation that is currently being discussed with the EBU and the organizers of the song contest.

“Hopefully this will be resolved soon and Bambie Thug will appear in the grand final show as planned.” Irish broadcaster RTE reported that the singer asked organizers to address comments made on Israeli television ahead of their semi-final performance on Tuesday.

This is believed to be unrelated to the situation described by Bambie in their social media post. They told the publication: “I am upset that other teams are breaking their UER rules and are still allowed to enter.

“So there’s definitely a war drum beating in my heart to push the performance even further than I’ve done before.” Bambie criticized Israel competing in the contest and called for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

The latest controversy follows the disqualification of Dutch contestant Joost Klein for alleged “inappropriate behaviour”. A statement from the European Broadcasting Union said: “Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be competing in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final.

“Swedish police investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production team after an incident following her performance in the semi-final on Thursday night. While the legal process runs its course, it would not be appropriate for it to continue in the Competition.

“We would like to clarify that, contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other interpreter or member of the delegation. We maintain a zero tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure work environment for all Contest staff. In light of this, Joost Klein’s behavior towards a team member is considered to be in violation of the Contest rules.

“The Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will now continue with 25 participating songs.”