Croatia at Eurovision 2025: A true “Poison Cake”—after his embarrassing elimination, Croatia’s representative lashes out at Israel, Ukraine, and reveals what he really thinks about Eurovision.
Marko Bošnjak, who was chosen to represent Croatia at Eurovision 2025 with the song “Poison Cake”, appears unwilling to accept his failure to qualify for the final. Just days after the contest’s conclusion—having finished only 12th out of 15 in the first semi-final with 28 points—the singer posted a lengthy and emotional Instagram story, venting his frustration, expressing controversial opinions, and directly attacking Israel’s participation in the contest.
The video was released days after Eurovision ended, at a time when participants are no longer bound by the code of conduct they signed at the beginning of the process. Bošnjak used this opportunity to publish particularly harsh stories, voicing strong political views, dismissing the spirit of the competition, and employing especially blunt language.
“I Have Only Love for Ukraine, But Israel? Out of the Contest”
Bošnjak began the video on a general note, clarifying that it was time to “speak honestly.” In his words: “Hello everyone. Now that this dramatic contest is over, I finally have a moment to share my thoughts about the logic behind all of this, because I think many things in Eurovision simply don’t make sense.”
He then addressed a tweet posted against him following remarks he allegedly made in the smoking area of the “Euroclub” late at night. According to him, “It’s stupid to tweet something without proof and then try to cancel someone without having a conversation.”
Bošnjak emphasized his emotional connection to Ukraine: “I was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country that went through war. I live in Croatia, which also experienced war. I am very aware of the suffering in Ukraine. I’ll just say one thing—‘Slava Ukraini’ (Glory to Ukraine). I thank them for the 8 points they gave me. It means a lot to me.”
Then came the turning point in his remarks: “Now that the contest is over, we can talk. First thing—Israel should be banned from Eurovision. There’s no reason for it to participate. Why? Because it’s committing genocide in Palestine.”
“Criticism of the Ukrainian Diaspora—and of Israel: “Period. End of Story”
Marko did not spare words for Ukraine, but clarified he does not intend to call for its disqualification: “I spoke with the guys from Ziferblat when we were in Madrid, and they were really worried about not making the final. I told them—you always qualify, you have a huge diaspora. Not because it’s your fault—but because people support their country even from abroad. That’s a sad reality.”
According to him, he never called for Ukraine’s disqualification, but repeatedly emphasized: “If there’s one country that should be disqualified—it’s Israel. Period. End of story. I never called for Ukraine to be banned. I just wanted to open a broader discussion about how countries involved in wars affect the contest’s atmosphere.”
“Criticism of the Ukrainian Diaspora—and of Israel: “Period. End of Story”
Marko did not spare words for Ukraine, but clarified he does not intend to call for its disqualification: “I spoke with the guys from Ziferblat when we were in Madrid, and they were really worried about not making the final. I told them—you always qualify, you have a huge diaspora. Not because it’s your fault—but because people support their country even from abroad. That’s a sad reality.”
According to him, he never called for Ukraine’s disqualification, but repeatedly emphasized: “If there’s one country that should be disqualified—it’s Israel. Period. End of story. I never called for Ukraine to be banned. I just wanted to open a broader discussion about how countries involved in wars affect the contest’s atmosphere.”
Profanity, Intoxication—and Admission
In the final part of the video, the singer made a shocking admission: “And yes, about the tweet saying I talked about other contestants and revealed things about them—it’s true. Totally true. I walked by Silvia Night when she yelled that she hates the ugly bitch from Poland and the old bastard from Sweden.”
Bošnjak added proudly: “I did it because I wanted to let loose with friends after all the pressure. The ridiculous code we signed to be ‘nice’ stopped being valid when I was eliminated. So if I talked nonsense when I was drunk—it’s true.”
Profanity, Intoxication—and Admission
In the final part of the video, the singer made a shocking admission: “And yes, about the tweet saying I talked about other contestants and revealed things about them—it’s true. Totally true. I walked by Silvia Night when she yelled that she hates the ugly bitch from Poland and the old bastard from Sweden.”
Bošnjak added proudly: “I did it because I wanted to let loose with friends after all the pressure. The ridiculous code we signed to be ‘nice’ stopped being valid when I was eliminated. So if I talked nonsense when I was drunk—it’s true.”
Hypocrisy or Ignorance?
Reading Marko Bošnjak’s words is like watching a train racing down two opposing tracks at once—yet somehow insisting it’s still on the right path. On one hand, he adamantly claims every country at war, whether aggressor or victim, should be banned from Eurovision, supposedly out of concern for the “political” atmosphere the contest creates. On the other hand—in the very same breath—he clarifies there’s no reason to ban Ukraine, which he considers a beloved country that sent a “banger” and deserved its success. So what is it really? A moral principle or political convenience? Inner truth or blatant hypocrisy? When Marko says “I said what I said,” he may mean he wasn’t really listening to himself as he spoke—but unfortunately for him, and for us, we had to listen.
After his failure at Eurovision 2025, Marko Bošnjak chooses a path of incitement, provocation, and profanity—instead of self-reflection. It’s hard to believe he truly expected any achievement, when all that remains is a “Poison Cake”—with a particularly bitter aftertaste.
Croatia at Eurovision 2025
“Poison Cake” is the title of the song performed by Marko Bošnjak, who represented Croatia in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025. The song was co-written by the singer himself, along with Bas Wissink—who also wrote “Juno” for the Maltese Eurovision pre-selection—Ben Pyne, and Emma Gale, who previously wrote “Monster” for the Latvian pre-selection and “Sulale” for the Norwegian pre-selection. This marks the first time these songwriters have had a song in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song is performed in English.
The singer broke Croatia’s streak of successes, finishing only 12th out of 15 in the first semi-final with 28 points.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Croatia’s 30th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Croatia joined the competition in 1993 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2024 by finishing in second place with the song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” performed by the singer Baby Lasagna.
