▲The 1968 contest was one for the history books. British singer Cliff Richard (center left) was a favorite to win for his song, 'Congratulations.' However, the prize went to Spanish singer Massiel (center right).

▲As reported by Time magazine, dictator Francisco Franco (allegedly) rigged the contest, to boost tourism in Spain. "It would be wonderful if someone official [...] said: 'Cliff, you won that darn thing after all,'" Richard told The Guardian.

▲In 2009, Georgia's official entry was Stephane and 3G, with the song: 'We Don't Wanna Put In.' However, the song never made it to the live show.

▲The track was apparently a commentary on Georgia's conflict with Russia. "Put In" apparently referred to Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

▲Some commentators took issue with Israel's entry back in 2007. The country was represented by Teapacks, with the song 'Push the Button.'

▲With reference to a "demonic" leader who will "blow us up to [...] kingdom come," it was alleged that the song was about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The song still made it to air, but raised plenty of eyebrows.

▲Silvía Night is a character played by Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir. The spoof singer is a hit in Iceland, but the joke didn't translate at Athens in 2006.

▲Her song, 'Congratulations,' was hilariously self-centered ("The vote is in, I'll f****** win"). She also slandered her competition in a swear-filled rant.

▲Dana International broke boundaries as the first transgender winner of the contest. The Israeli entrant was warmly welcomed in Birmingham, but some took issue back home.

▲Some conservative commentators tried to block Dana from representing Israel. However, it didn't work, and Dana has gone on to become a hugely successful artist.

▲Over the summer of 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, worsening relationships between Turkey and Greece. The latter backed out of the 1975 ceremony, as Turkey was also competing.

▲In 1976, Turkish broadcasters didn't air the performance from Greek entry Mariza Koch.

▲Krista Siegfrids caused quite a stir in 2013. The Finnish singer protested her country's ban on same-sex marriage. "It's live on TV, so nobody can stop me," she said.

▲Siegfrids then kissed one of her female back-up dancers. Many wondered if the move would be censored, but it made the cut.

▲At the 1963 contest in London, presenter Katie Boyle (pictured left) was receiving the voting results from Norway. She said she couldn't hear them, and would return later.

▲However, by the time she got back to them, Norway had apparently changed their votes. They awarded top marks to Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann of Denmark, who won the contest at Switzerland's expense.

▲One of Eurovision's most controversial moments took place in 2000. Israeli group PingPong finished their performance by waving Syrian flags, and calling for peace.

▲Israeli officials condemned the performance, and the group came 22nd place. However, it turned out that the group was made up of journalists, and had entered the competition as a joke.

▲Andriy Danylko is a cross-dressing comedian, who was Ukraine's entrant back in 2007. Performing as drag queen Verka Serduchka, the singer enraged some people back home.

▲A national radio station protested after Danylko was picked, and some Ukrainian MPs debated the "grotesque and vulgar" character. However, Serduchka went on to come second place, proving her naysayers wrong.

▲San Marino isn't the biggest force in Europe, but their 2012 entry was a viral hit. Originally titled 'Facebook Uh Uh Oh,' the song simply had to be censored.

▲The song was renamed 'The Social Network Song,' with removed references to Mark Zuckerberg's site. However, the costumes still seemed to resemble the popular website.

▲During the 1978 ceremony in Paris, the country of Jordan apparently refused to broadcast 'Abanibi,' by Israeli contestants Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta.

▲Things were made complicated when Israel eventually won the contest. Jordanian broadcasters apparently crowned Belgium as the winners, hoping no one would notice.

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ABBA stole the show back in 1974, with their winning song 'Waterloo.' However, Portugal's Paulo de Carvalho was actually involved in some serious conflict.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY 3.0)

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Carvalho's song, 'And After the Goodbye,' was broadcast across Catholic Radio Renascenca, which apparently kickstarted the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974.

(Photo: I, Henrique Matos/Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

▲In 1972, the Munich Olympics were besieged by Black September. The Palestinian terrorist group killed 11 Israelis, as well as a West German police officer.

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The next year, Israeli singer Ilanit came fourth place with the song 'Ey Sham.' There were hysterical rumors that the singer wore a bulletproof vest, and Time reported that the audience was asked to stay seated, to avoid being shot by security.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

▲The UK and US don't always have the best reputation around the world, which was clear at this song contest. Jean-Claude Pascal was the French entry in 1981, with the song 'C'est peut-être pas l'Amérique.'

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The song featured lyrics that were arguably anti-American. The next year, Spanish singer Lucía caused a stir by performing the Argentinian tango dance. Apparently, this was a message to the British hosts, who were currently involved in the Falklands War.

▲The wheelchair-bound singer was banned from entering the country for three years after an "illegal visit" to Russian-annexed Crimea back in 2015.

▲In 2014, Poland polarized voters with Donatan & Cleo, a duo who performed with a group of sultry milkmaids.

▲The late Sir Terry Wogan controversially stepped down as the UK's Eurovision host after he said it was "no longer a musical contest," as it was politically influenced.

▲In 2017, Russia was engulfed in scandal after contestant Julia Samoylova was reportedly denied entry into host country Ukraine.

▲"It sounded like she farted," Ingrosso said of Macedonian act Eye Cue. "Wait look at that drummer, he doesn't know what he's doing. Oh no, they brought him from the streets."

▲After Tanel Padar & Dave Benton won with 'Everybody,' Estonia became the first post-Soviet nation to take the Eurovision trophy home.

▲In 2015, Armenian group Genealogy used the opportunity to mark the centennial of the Armenian genocide.

▲In 2018, a Chinese broadcaster lost Eurovision rights after censoring a performance from Irish singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy.

▲In 2018, the Swedish singer Benjamin Ingrosso got in trouble for releasing a video on YouTube in which he was seen criticizing other contestants.

▲The European Broadcasting Union cut ties with Mango TV, after they censored tattoos and rainbow flags that referenced LGBT rights. They also cut part of the performance because there were two males dancing together.

▲The massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire is recognized by many countries in Europe, but not by neighboring Turkey.

▲After the victory, Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar famously said: "We freed ourselves from the Soviet Empire through song." Controversy ensued.

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But he wasn't the only Brit to say so. A YouGov poll showed that 75% of British people agreed that the event was politically biased and some countries never stood a chance of winning.

Why not also get to know Europe's cute little countries?

▲The raunchy performance was voted as the most popular in several countries. However, official judges in several countries placed Donatan and Cleo's act last.

▲In 2014, Thomas Neuwirth made headlines and history, performing 'Rise Like a Phoenix' as Conchita Wurst.

▲Wurst is the singer's drag queen persona, who made headlines around the world thanks to her distinct look. She won the contest, though there were negative responses from political figures in Turkey and Russia. A Serbian patriach even blamed a dangerous flood on Wurst winning the contest.

▲The Eurovision Song Contest is right around the corner. By now, you should know what that means: cheesy songs, creative costumes, and a fair bit of continental controversy. The ceremony is intended to be apolitical, but Europe's relations are always exposed on the Eurovision stage. Allied countries vote for each other, rival countries give the cold shoulder, and some subliminal messages always seem to slip in to someone's lyrics. Sit back, relax, and dig in to the most delicious drama at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The craziest Eurovision controversies

Cheesy songs, creative costumes, and a fair bit of continental controversy

13/05/19 por StarsInsider

MUSIC Eurovision song contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is right around the corner. By now, you should know what that means: cheesy songs, creative costumes, and a fair bit of continental controversy. The ceremony is intended to be apolitical, but Europe's relations are always exposed on the Eurovision stage. Allied countries vote for each other, rival countries give the cold shoulder, and some subliminal messages always seem to slip in to someone's lyrics. Sit back, relax, and dig in to the most delicious drama at the Eurovision Song Contest.