It looks to be all change in Spain as Federico Llano steps down from his role as Head of Delegation, some four months earlier than planned. He is expected to be replaced by the Head of International Relations at TVE, Ana María Bordas.
The change had reportedly been planned for some time, with Bordas due to take over in June. One small problem with that timetable: the Eurovision 2017 Heads of Delegation meeting was held in Kyiv in early March, not June. Llano had been Spain’s Head of Delegation for many years, as well as TVE’s deputy director for co-productions and festivals. Bordas, alongside Antonio Losada, would go on to lead Spain’s delegation at Eurovision 2017.
The official line given by Llano was “personal reasons”. Spanish media sources speculated that the early job swap followed the upset surrounding the handling of the national final, Objetivo Eurovisión. That connection remained speculation, however; RTVE did not officially link Llano’s departure to the controversy.
Manel Navarro was handed the Spanish ticket after tying with Mirela on the combined score. Under the published rules, the public and a three-person jury each counted for 50%, with the jury deciding the winner in the event of a tie. Mirela was widely reported as the public’s favourite, but two jury members, Xavi Martínez and Virginia Díaz, voted for Navarro; Javier Cárdenas voted for Mirela.
That ending produced the sort of television drama nobody had ordered: booing, accusations of vote-rigging and general disorder. Xavi Martínez’s previous promotion of Navarro and his song on Los 40 attracted particular scrutiny. There were also allegations of a conflict of interest involving Sony Music: Navarro had released music through the company, while reports noted that Toñi Prieto’s daughter worked for Sony and was involved with Navarro’s team. Those circumstances fuelled suspicion, but they were not proof that Sony had backed the jury decision or that the contest had been manipulated.
There is no word on whether personal reasons might also cause Entertainment Director Toñi Prieto to consider a change of career direction. Prieto was expected to answer questions before RTVE’s Audit Committee, while the broadcaster said it would address the complaints publicly.
On 26 February, RTVE’s programme RTVE responde broadcast the broadcaster’s first official response. RTVE defended the procedure in a written statement; there was no cancellation or reversal of Navarro’s selection.
Navarro subsequently performed “Do It for Your Lover” for Spain at Eurovision 2017, where he finished last in the grand final with five points. That result, obviously, was still several months away when this particular Spanish scandal was unfolding.
Good old scandal, then — but with the important distinction between an unpopular and questionable-looking process, and proven fixing.
