As Malta prepares for the final quarterfinal in its national selection for Eurovision 2023, Aidan has asked public broadcaster PBS to freeze their decision to suspend him from the competition.
Aidan ‘singled out’ by PBS
According to the Times of Malta, Aidan sent a letter asking for a review of his disqualification. Should PBS refuse to do so, the letter goes on to say that he will carry out legal action if the issue persists.
Aidan Cassar already performed at the first quarterfinal of MESC 2023 two weeks ago. Ahead of his performance, he shared promotional material regarding his song “Reġina”, including the cover art for the song. According to the rules of MESC, this promoting was not allowed and thus, Cassar was removed from the competition. However, Cassar’s legal team say that PBS singled him out – as many other contestants had done similar promotional posts.
It comes as PBS stipulated that Cassar was ‘repeatedly warned’ about the consequences of publicly promoting the song, which breach sections 5.3 and 5.7 of MESC’s rules. These rules state:
Announcements, media posts, social media posts and any marketing content related to the submitted songs, artists and contest can only be made by PBS. Artists can only share the official posts by PBS.
Clause 5.7 of the rules of MESC 2023
In addition to this, Aidan’s legal team argues that PBS did not give him the possibility of defending himself and as yet, is still unsure of the exact reasoning behind his expulsion. Aidan has not offered any public comments about the controversy as yet.
In a statement, PBS said: “There are clear rules that say no promotion may be carried out from when the names of the quarter-finals are announced”.
Malta’s Eurovision journey
Malta made its Eurovision debut in 1971, with Joe Grech performing “Marija I-Maltija” (Maria the Maltese Lass), finishing 18th with 52 points. Malta did not participate in Eurovision from 1975 until 1991. That year they returned with the song “Could It Be” by Paul Giordimaina and Georgina, finishing 12th with 32 points.
Since then, Malta has been at every Eurovision and finished in the top 10 an impressive 12 times. Their best result so far is second place, which they’ve achieved twice. The first time was in 2002, when Ira Losco sang “7th Wonder,” and the second time in 2005 with Chiara’s “Angel.” Malta’s most recent Eurovision entry was Emma Muscat, who scored 47 points in the semi-final, earning 16th place and therefore, not qualifying for the final with the song “I Am What I Am”.
What do you think of Aidan’s decision? Should he be allowed to take part in MESC 2023? Will Malta select the right candidate to bring them to the final in Liverpool? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we gear up for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: Times of Malta
Photo Credit: Aidan
If the rules are clear then he shouldn’t aloud but if others did the same they shouldn’t be allowed either !!!