[Archive 2009-05-15] After uncertain day of Eurovision rehearsals, EBU will place sanctions on Spain and RTVE

Historical archive — originally published 2009-05-15. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

After a tense day of rehearsals, in which Spanish national broadcaster RTVE said publicly that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) would not be imposing sanctions on them for pre-empting the second live Eurovision semi-final, the EBU has made an official statement, contradicting RTVE and announcing that sanctions will be placed on Spain. This year's act, former Operación Triunfo finalist Soraya Arnelas, will not be affected by the EBU ruling, and she will be allowed to perform her song "La noche es para mí" in Moscow as scheduled on Saturday.

RTVE is no stranger to controversy this week; on Wednesday the network came under fire for fan reaction to the Spanish national anthem being played before the Copa del Rey soccer matchup between Athletic de Bilbao and Barcelona, two teams located in secessionist regions of Spain (Catalonia and the Basque Country). During the telecast of the anthem, fans yelled out anti-Spanish insults and slurs against King Juan Carlos I, and nationalist flags were shown on-air. RTVE's sports director was immediately fired for the incident. An opinion piece in El Mundo called for more resignations at RTVE as they drew parallels in terms of incompetence between the Eurovision event and the Copa del Rey event.

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