Dutch Darts Star Van Veen Condemns Littler's 'Out of Order' Behaviour in Heated Manchester Clash
Gian van Veen has publicly criticised world number one Luke Littler, branding his conduct as 'out of order' following a fiery quarter-final encounter at the Premier League darts event in Manchester. The Dutchman edged a tense 6-5 victory over Littler at the AO Arena, but the match was overshadowed by on-stage confrontations and post-match accusations.
Controversial Gestures Mar Narrow Victory
The controversy erupted during the decisive moments of the match, when Van Veen, attempting to secure victory on double 15, missed his shot and turned towards the crowd in frustration. Littler responded by gesturing angrily at his opponent and encouraging the audience, before mimicking a crying gesture towards Van Veen. The Dutchman eventually sealed the match on double six, but the pair exchanged only a brief handshake afterwards.
Van Veen expressed his displeasure to Sky Sports, stating: 'I missed the double 15 and I looked around, and I was fuming with myself that I missed, and I looked around and he was celebrating that I missed. That was out of order. I was fuming about that.' He added, 'I love Luke to bits, he's a fantastic player and guy for the sport and to see all the attention he's brought to it is phenomenal, but this is also part of it as well and today was my day.'
Littler's Social Media Response and Tournament Context
Littler, who hails from nearby Warrington and is a noted Manchester United supporter, took to Instagram after the match, posting quotes from Van Veen's interview accompanied by three crying-with-laughter emojis. This defeat ended Littler's hopes of claiming a third consecutive Premier League victory, having previously surged to the top of the standings with back-to-back wins in Dublin and Berlin.
Van Veen, who had not won a match since week four of the competition and is still recovering from kidney stones that forced him to miss the Dublin event, demonstrated resilience throughout the match. He served notice of his intent with a bullseye to seal a 128 checkout for a break of throw in the third leg, and narrowly missed a double five that would have opened up a 5-1 lead.
Match Dynamics and Further Tournament Action
Littler recovered from 4-3 down, and it appeared Van Veen's chance might have slipped away when he failed to land a double for the match at 5-3. The world champion levelled the score, but ultimately could not find the answers in the crunch moments. Van Veen put the confrontation behind him with another excellent performance, beating Josh Rock 6-3 in the semi-finals and finishing in style with a 160 checkout.
In other Premier League action, Gerwyn Price continued his strong form with a 6-2 victory over Luke Humphries, followed by another 6-2 win against Stephen Bunting. Price imitated Littler's fishing celebration when he took out a 170 checkout in the third leg, averaging more than 112 in a high-quality encounter that highlighted the competitive intensity of the tournament.
