Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the incident that led him to label Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. Littler claims Van Veen effectively conceded at the end of the match, prompting the remark. The controversy began when Van Veen won a contentious match early in April, with Littler reacting angrily after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in a dramatic deciding leg. Van Veen had stated that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which caused him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now shared his perspective on the incident ahead of the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam, where the two could potentially meet in the semi-finals. Littler explained that as he walked back, he was still looking towards the crowd, and Van Veen had put his darts down, which Littler felt was disrespectful. Littler stated, '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 added that he called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because there was no need for him to put his darts down. When Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him, saying, 'well done, you got the win.' Littler also mentioned that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. He recalled thinking that Van Veen would not miss, given his reputation as one of the best bull hitters in the game. Littler looked up at the TV, had a drink of water, and did a little fist bump towards his girlfriend, Faith, and her dad, which is when the fans started screaming. Littler felt that Van Veen should have stepped back, looked at the floor, and then thrown his last dart instead of staring at him. Littler recently produced his worst televised average, 83.94, in a 6-4 defeat to Stephen Bunting in Brighton. He attributed the poor performance to a lack of practice and not wanting to be there. Littler and Van Veen did not speak to each other after their respective losses last Thursday and practiced in different rooms, which Littler considers normal. He believes that other incidents in darts have been more heated than his exchange with Van Veen, citing arguments between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney on stage. Littler thinks that the controversy will draw more viewers and create a rivalry between him and Van Veen, but he is focused on his darts and is looking forward to the upcoming matches.