Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on why he referred to Gian van Veen as a 'cry baby' following their tense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. According to Littler, Van Veen seemed to give up towards the end of the match, prompting the comment. The controversy began when Van Veen won a disputed match earlier in April, after which Littler reacted angrily to Van Veen turning towards him while throwing match darts in the decisive leg. Van Veen had told Sky Sports that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which caused him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now shared his side of the story ahead of the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam, where the two could potentially meet in the semi-finals. Littler stated 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. He believes Van Veen was the one not doing his job by being respectful. Littler called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because he felt there was no need for Van Veen's actions. When Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him and said '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 thought that Van Veen should have just focused on his game instead of getting distracted. The incident has sparked a rivalry between the two players, with Littler stating that he's sure they will talk sometime. For now, Littler is focused on his darts and is looking forward to the upcoming matches.