I don't think organizers will cover their failures: "it is what it is and won't be fixed" is what fandom is saying, not the organizers. Is what you say they said. And this is what some Italians can perceive like "ethnic prejudice, anti-Italian sentiment, whatever", as you said.
Honestly Polly, you know what: In the last two days I started to desire we withdraw from the competition again next year. Why? Let's start with something we all know. Last year The Netherlands hosted the show and AVROTROS had problems aswell in the rehearsals: Senhit almost injured herself for a failure on the staging, but we didn't have that much drama and surely we didn't blame the dutch broadcaster (which would have been something really stupid to do in first place, because we didn't see how things have gone, we just hear of this problem from Sammarinese delegation and secondarily because it was fixed before the show aired), dutch people or everything is dutch. This things just happen (should not, but there is always a risk). Last year there were also severe audio problems, with three acts repeating their performances on jury show because they didn't hear anything from their earpieces. But we didn't blame anyone, because those things just happen. In 2019? Should I mention you the Belarusian jury problem who deprived some countries of the Final? Or the fact that Tamara Todevska won the jury vote and couldn't even be happy because they messed up the votes? But it happens sometimes, to screw up. It's not Israel broadcaster's fault. 2018? As someone here said, they have the same issue we have this year. Fortunately that was not the main part of the staging, so nobody really cared in the end (and in the end, I think nobody will care this year outside the fandom because the 99% of Eurovision viewers don't even know how the staging would be, imagine if they know how it's supposed to work).
But, if you see the comments this year, they are totally different and they are focusing on our broadcaster and, expecially, and I remark, EXPECIALLY our country, even when RAI and Italy don't mean anything by any means (for example, there were people blaming RAI for the statement of EBU about Ronela's staging when it's the EBU which decides what should be aired and what shouldn't, saying Italy should never host anything... You have heard it right, you find all the comments on YouTube under certain users pages). This is the main problem. All started with that staging thing you will say? Yeah, but not really, because it actually started before... The stage issue was the main dish, like we Italians are laughing of that issue, like we didn't care. See some Spanish YouTube Channels saying "Italy being Italy", see some other British comments online saying "On which head did the stage fell off today?". These are the comments, all over. Do you think these comments would ever be written if someone else hosted Eurovision? Sorry, but I don't think so. You know why I don't think so? Remember last year what happened on the final? How many winners have been treated that way? And how many host countries have that prejudice around them about them hosting based on a 1991 meme (thirty-fucking-one years ago)? How many allocation draw (yes, I said allocation draw) hosts were hugely criticized for their English pronounciation? Saying the same mantra of "Italians being Italian", "Italians should learn some English" (and some comments weren't even written in good English. I'm not that perfect in English too, but at least I admit that). Of course they didn't said all these things like this, but in a different way, let's say, a lot more disrespectful. And this is not being nationalistic, it is reality because it didn't happen in the same manner in the past (for example, the Portuguese girls in 2018 didn't have a perfect English but I was totally fine with their pronounciation or I didn't even care that much).
You can say what you want, that the things I said are not right. But I actually saw them. I, as an Italian, directly involved in this shitstorm, see all these things and those things bother me a lot. And it is really frustrating. These comments are frustrating for us, the Italian fans of the contest, who are waiting to host from forever (because I was 2, literally 2 years old when Toto said his "Allora" to the World making the biggest Eurovision meme of all time, the only thing why 1991 is remembered), are frustrating for the organization, which spilled a lot of money to bring you the best Eurovision possible (and that's just because of that meme. Because they wanted redemption from that 1991 contest, always remembered as the worst, when it actually gave us of the biggest voting dramas of all time. And still, nobody cares, because of "Allora": the competition being tertiary behind staging and an Italian interlocution, when competition should be the main thing after being together to have a great time) just to see that problem emerge just before first rehearsals and screw it all, with the fans not giving the whole contest even the benefit of the doubt to see what the final product will eventually be, and are frustrating for the artists themselves, because as long as people focuses on production issues their work doesn't really matter: on some pages I saw more comments about everything else than comments about the singers and the songs: this is what really is not fair, because THEY should be the "best attraction" of the evening, not something else, not even a stupid sun. Sometimes I don't get if some "fans" are really interested in music to begin with or if they watch the show and comment on it out of boredom.
In conclusion, I was the first which complained about the lack of news regarding this year's Eurovision and I remember having a pretty harsh discussion with my compatriot Sucof on this Forum regarding the lack of information given by RAI to Eurovision Fans (I think it was January or early February). So I was the last person defending RAI and my country at all costs, I'm not that patriotic and I really hate a lot of things about my country. But enough is enough! What I'm reading from a lot of sources is a huge pile of toxic bullshit and not being nationalistic doesn't mean I want my country being treated like a laughing stock: I think I'm now able to comprehend why Italy didn't want to host in the '90s and even retired from the competition, but maybe I'm wrong. Hope it doesn't happen again, but sorry, let me say it loud and clear: the fandom is toxic as hell and, as it stays, I don't want my country to host Eurovision ever again. Sorry. Vote for someone else, but don't you dare to vote for us. And I'm saying this not because of that damn sun, but because I've read too much s**t in the past few days, few months and few years and I'm getting really tired of it. If my dream was to be able to see my own country hosting Eurovision, now it will be granted. But I don't want it no more, sorry. Now I wish I never had that desire: if I could turn back time, I would give Barbara the win and place Måneskin last place even if they didn't deserved it. In the end, as Jan said last year, we are only "The Land of Pizza and Sambuca": so we can move on and leave song contests to others.
And I'm sorry if I annoyed you, but those are actually my feelings about the whole thing. You people are nice: this is literally the only platform where I see constructive criticism and a real debate. So happy to have joined.
