Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Directed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the incident that led him to label Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their heated Premier League Darts match in Manchester. According to Littler, Van Veen effectively conceded at the end of the match, prompting the remark. The controversy began when Van Veen won a disputed match earlier in April, during which Littler became agitated after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in a dramatic deciding leg. Van Veen had told Sky Sports that Littler's behavior was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which led him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now shared his side of the story ahead of the Premier League Darts in Rotterdam. Littler stated that what people didn't see was Van Veen putting his darts down after the match, which Littler perceived as 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 added that from his perspective, he was looking up at the TV, thinking that Van Veen wouldn't miss. Littler stated that he did a little fist bump towards his girlfriend and her dad, which is when the fans started screaming. However, he felt that Van Veen had no need to look back and stare at him, especially since he still had a dart in hand. Littler produced his worst televised average last week in Brighton in a 6-4 defeat to Stephen Bunting. He attributed the poor performance to a lack of practice and not wanting to be there. Van Veen also lost his first match last Thursday, and the pair did not speak to each other. Littler thinks other incidents in darts were more heated than his exchange with Van Veen, citing arguments between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney on stage. He believes that the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers and create a more exciting competition.