Luke Littler has revealed he has not spoken to Gian van Veen since their on-stage altercation in Manchester three weeks ago, but insists the matter is now behind them. The back-to-back world champion was accused of celebrating when van Veen missed a match dart during a Premier League match.
The 19-year-old Englishman described the handshake after the match as frosty, and both players have since taken to social media to defend their respective positions. Despite the tension, Littler says he has no intention of initiating a conversation to clear the air.
Littler on the Fallout
“No, we’ve not spoken. I’m not the type of person to go up and talk to him or something like that,” Littler said. “Maybe he’s waiting for me to go and talk to him, but I’m not the type of person to do that, even in the practice room, people will talk to me first. I’m not the type of person to be chatting away.”
He added that the issue is resolved as far as he is concerned: “I think he’s forgotten about it. I’ve forgotten about it. I moved on the day after, went on holiday.”
Fan Reactions and Hostile Atmospheres
The spat has had repercussions for Littler, with fans turning against him in recent weeks. He faced a hostile reception in Rotterdam last week and again in Liverpool on Thursday. Despite the boos, Littler silenced the crowd by winning night 12 of the Premier League, defeating Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, and Jonny Clayton.
Reflecting on the fan response, Littler said: “It has been a tough couple weeks, but I just had to get on with it. Just playing darts, that’s what I’ve done now, winning this night gives me confidence.”
No Regrets
Littler insists he has no regrets about his actions during the incident. “No, I don’t regret anything. Obviously, I have my opinion, he’s got his opinion, so we’re all entitled to it. I think we’ve both moved on with our game on stage, but off stage, obviously we’ve not spoken.”
The victory in Liverpool was particularly meaningful for Littler, who is a Manchester United fan and has often mocked Liverpool’s fortunes on social media. However, he noted that the reception in Liverpool was not as bad as in Rotterdam. “If it gets worse than that, then something’s wrong,” he said. “Rotterdam was far worse than tonight. I even proved to people last week that I can win games under those circumstances. There was no anxiety, I just expected the worst, but it wasn’t worse than Rotterdam. That’s the worst I’ve experienced.”
