Piers Morgan Complains Ukraine Won Eurovision On 'Sympathy Vote'
Topics: Piers Morgan, Russia, Ukraine
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: Piers Morgan/Instagram/ Alamy
Topics: Piers Morgan, Russia, Ukraine
Piers Morgan says Ukraine only won last night's Eurovision song contest on a 'sympathy vote'.
On the evening of Saturday, 14 May, rap group Kalush Orchestra took home the crown for Ukraine at the Eurovision song contest, held in Turin, Italy.
However, former Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan has since spoken out against the win, criticising the group's song for not being 'anywhere near the best'.
The world’s most absurd, pointless, politically-motivated ‘contest’ excels itself. Ukraine could have sent one of its heroic bomb-sniffing dogs to bark the national anthem and still won. Happy for them, but please let’s stop calling #Eurovision a contest… it’s a rigged farce. https://t.co/spefapUQBt
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 15, 2022
While Morgan said he was 'happy' for Ukraine, he condemned Eurovision as not being a 'contest' but instead 'a rigged farce'.
He tweeted: "The world’s most absurd, pointless, politically-motivated ‘contest’ excels itself. Ukraine could have sent one of its heroic bomb-sniffing dogs to bark the national anthem and still won."
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Morgan added: "The result of an international singing 'contest' shouldn’t be determined by which countries are suffering most at the time of the 'contest' or there is no point having a contest."
The result of an international singing ‘contest’ shouldn’t be determined by which countries are suffering most at the time of the ‘contest’ or there is no point having a contest. https://t.co/n53Hm1I5JB
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 15, 2022
The broadcaster said he didn't think Kalush Orchestra's song was 'anywhere near the best'. "Even Ukrainians don't think it was the best song," he added/
He suggested the win had been a 'sympathy vote'.
However, Morgan noted this was 'fine, so long as we drop the word ‘contest’ from Eurovision'.
No, I don’t. But nobody who voted for Ukraine thought it was the best song because it obviously wasn’t anywhere near the best. Even Ukrainians don’t think it was the best song..
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 15, 2022
They got the sympathy vote, which is fine so long as we drop the word ‘contest’ from Eurovision. https://t.co/ZpmJTwOHpB
One Twitter user questioned why Morgan couldn't just think of the event not 'as a singing competition [...] but an occasion where 40 nations come together and celebrate each other, joyfully, and uplift millions with fun, frivolity, music, solidarity and glitter'.
"Last night brought so much joy. The results were icing on the cake," they said.
Morgan replied: "Sure, then call it Eurovision Song Frivolity.. just stop pretending it’s any kind of ‘contest’ because it isn’t."
Sure, then call it Eurovision Song Frivolity.. just stop pretending it’s any kind of ‘contest’ because it isn’t. https://t.co/msCJqR0wqO
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 15, 2022
Kalush Orchestra performed a song about frontman Oleh Psyuk's mother titled 'Stefania', and received a whopping 631 votes, with the UK's Sam Ryder coming in second with 466 votes.
On the night, Psyuk spoke out about Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, calling for Ukrainian fighters to be freed from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Despite the destruction caused to the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed the country will 'do [it's] best' to host next year's Eurovision.
UNILAD has contacted Eurovision for comment.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information