Luke Littler has given his account of a recent incident with Gian van Veen during a Premier League Darts match earlier this month in Manchester. The controversy arose after Littler called Van Veen a “cry baby”. Littler’s explanation comes ahead of this week’s Premier League Darts in Rotterdam, where the two could potentially meet again.
Littler’s Perspective on the Incident
Littler claims that Van Veen had effectively given up towards the end of their match. He told Online Darts, “What other people didn’t see was, as I’ve walked back around, I’m still looking that way [to the crowd] and he’s put his darts down but no one sees that.”
Littler said, “I think he’s the one who’s not doing his job, obviously being respectful. I think that’s the first-ever time I’ve seen someone put their darts down in front of my face.” He questioned Van Veen’s actions, stating, “I was like, ‘why?’ And obviously I come inside [the double to win the match]. I called him a cry baby because there was no need for it. There was no need for him to put his darts down. When he won, I picked my darts up and I said, ‘well done, you got the win’.”
Van Veen’s Stare and Littler’s Reaction
Littler also addressed Van Veen’s stare during the match. He stated there was “no need” for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had darts to throw.
Littler explained his actions at the time: “From my point of view, I’m looking up at the TV, I’m just thinking in my head, ‘he’s not going to miss. Even if he gets a shot at the bullseye, Gian’s one of the best bull hitters in the game’.”
He continued, “When he came inside the double 15, I looked up, had a drink of my water, and then I did a little fist bump towards Faith (Littler’s girlfriend) and her dad. That’s when the fans started screaming, so I was like ‘come on’ to them.”
Littler clarified, “But then there was no need for Gian to look back and stare at me. He’s still got a dart in hand, so really he should just step back, look at the floor, and then throw his last dart.” Littler added, “So he’s staring at me, and he’s caught me… so I didn’t do it to him. I did it to Faith and her dad, the whole crowd.”
Van Veen’s Initial Reaction
Van Veen previously told Sky Sports that Littler was “out of order” for “celebrating towards the crowd”. This caused Van Veen to stare at Littler, who then missed match darts before losing the contest.
Littler and Van Veen could meet in the semi-finals of this week’s Premier League Darts in Rotterdam, live on Sky Sports on Thursday from 6pm.