Austrian Eurovision Song Contest veterans Waterloo & Robinson, who finished second in this year's national final have filed a lawsuit against song.null.vier-winner Tie-Break, as Austrian newspaper Der Standard reports today, referring to a story in tabloid Kronenzeitung.
The second-placed duo claims that Tie-Break's performance of Du bist at the national final on 5 March lasted three minutes and eight seconds, which was a break of the Song Contest's rules (as no song is allowed to last more than three minutes sharply) and thus the song has to be disqualified.
In a written statement towards Der Standard, Edgar Böhm, head of entertainment at Austrian broadcaster ORF, said: “The minimal exceedance of the time limit (…) is no reason for disqualification. The song will not exceed its time limit when performed at the international contest on 15 May 2004 in Istanbul.”
The three singers of Tie-Break were a little irritated, but not impressed: “Waterloo & Robinson shaked hands with us and wished us well”, they said, “it's a bit odd that this lawsuit comes now”. Regardless of this, the trio is on its way to Istabul. “We think it's funny”, Stefan di Bernando commented.
