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. 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 agitated after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in the deciding leg. Van Veen had stated that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which caused him to stare at Littler, leading to Littler missing match darts at double and ultimately losing. 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 around, he was still looking towards the crowd, and Van Veen had put his darts down, which Littler felt was unnecessary and disrespectful. Littler called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because he believed there was no need for Van Veen's actions. When Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him, saying 'well done, you got the 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. From Littler's perspective, he was focused on the TV, thinking that Van Veen would not miss his shot. After Van Veen came inside the double 15, Littler had a drink of water and did a fist bump towards his girlfriend, Faith, and her dad, which is when the fans started screaming. Littler felt that Van Veen had no reason to look back and stare at him, as he still had a dart in hand. Littler claimed that he did not do anything to provoke Van Veen, and his actions were directed towards Faith, her dad, and the crowd. In his last televised match, Littler produced his worst average, which he attributed to a lack of practice and not wanting to be there. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the two did not speak to each other, practicing in different rooms. Littler believes that the incident has created a rivalry between them, but he is focused on his darts and does not dwell on the past. The rivalry is expected to continue, with the possibility of the two meeting in the semi-finals in Rotterdam.