Littler Explains His 'Cry Baby' Comment About Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the incident that led him to call Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' after their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. According to Littler, Van Veen seemed to give up towards the end of the match, prompting the remark. The controversy began when Van Veen won a contentious match earlier in April, during which Littler became angry 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 side of the story 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 questioned Van Veen's actions, saying there was no need for him to put his darts down, especially since Littler had congratulated Van Veen on his win. Littler also stated that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. He believed that Van Veen should have focused on his game instead of getting distracted by Littler's celebration. Littler added that he was looking at the TV, thinking that Van Veen would not miss his shot, and was caught off guard when Van Veen stared at him. Littler argued that his celebration was directed towards his girlfriend, Faith, and her dad, as well as the crowd, and not at Van Veen. The incident has sparked a rivalry between the two players, with Littler saying that it will likely draw more attention to their future matches. Littler also reflected on his poor performance in Brighton, where he produced his worst televised average, and attributed it to a lack of practice and a lack of motivation. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the two players did not speak to each other, but Littler expects they will talk soon, possibly in the semi-finals.