Massiel denies any 1968 Eurovision Song Contest fix

Massiel denies any 1968 Eurovision Song Contest fix
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By h.b. - May 6, 2008 - 6:44 AM

Spanish Eurovision winner, Massiel - Photo Archives

The singer says the whole matter has been raised now to boost the spoof candidate for Spain this year, Chikilicuatre.

Spanish singer of the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, Massiel, has said that all the fuss being made in the media about a documentary which will be broadcast on La Sexta on Thursday this week, has been done to boost this year’s spoof candidate, Chikilicuatre, who is a comedian from the TV channel.

A documentary to be broadcast on Thursday on the La Sexta television channel in Spain – claims that Franco paid money to ensure that the Spanish competitor in the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest, Massiel, would be declared the winner. That was the year when Cliff Richard was placed second with ‘Congratulations’. The programme claimed that the Spanish dictator did so in an attempt to improve the image of Spain abroad.

El Mundo reports that the presenter of the programme which looks at the events of 1968, José María Iñigo, called Massiel yesterday to tell her that he had nothing to do with the comments in the press. He also confirmed that the fix of a Spanish win was a rumour at the time when Adolfo Suárez was head of programmes.

For her part Massiel denied that any fix or payment was made.
‘If there had of been’, she said, ‘it would have been for singers who were closer to the Franco regime’.

She said that instead of praising her for the win, now she has been made an objective of the gossip press, who now the Isabel Pantoja story has run its course, had decided it is her turn.

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