Damiano David from Italian rock band Måneskin, the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest, has said he is “really offended” over allegations he took drugs on air.
In one part of the ceremony’s live broadcast on Saturday (22 May), singer David is seen leaning forward while sat at a table, prompting viewers to suggest that he was sniffing cocaine. No drugs are seen in the clip.
Måneskin have vehemently denied all allegations and vowed to take a drug test in order to prove the claims are false.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning (24 May), the band reasserted their innocence. David claimed that the suspicious-looking scene, in fact, showed him inspecting a broken glass on the table.
“When I was cheering, I saw the glass broken and I was like, ‘My God, what happened?’” he said.
The singer added that he feels “really offended” by the accusations, stating: “I think these kind of things are outrageous. We’re young guys with huge passion for the music and this is actually overshadowing our win.”
Måneskin reiterated that “we will get drug tested to prove it’s all speculation”.
Bandmate Victoria De Angelis added that the claims “makes us upset”.
She said: “We’re trying to spread our music and a positive message and we’ve never had use of drugs. We really don’t want to spread this kind of message.”
David previously explained the incident to reporters after the contest. He told press: “[Fellow bandmember] Thomas [Raggi] broke a glass... I don’t use drugs.”
In a statement released on Sunday (23 May), the European Broadcasting Union confirmed that broken glass was found after an on-site check.
Måneskin were crowned champions on the night for their performance, while the UK finished with a total of zero points.
You can catch up with the ceremony’s biggest talking points here and read our Q&A with the winning contestants here.
