Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the incident that led to him labeling Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their intense 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 contentious match earlier in April, during which Littler reacted angrily to Van Veen turning towards him while throwing match darts in the deciding leg. Van Veen claimed Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which caused him to stare at Littler, leading to Littler missing his match darts and 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 stated that as he walked back, still looking towards the crowd, Van Veen put his darts down, which Littler felt was disrespectful. He believes Van Veen was the one not doing his job and being respectful, adding that it was the first time he had seen someone put their darts down in front of him. 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 picked up his darts. 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 Van Veen should have just focused on his game instead of getting distracted. Littler shared that he was looking up at the TV, thinking Van Veen would not miss his shot, and was doing a fist bump towards his girlfriend and her dad when the fans started screaming. Littler felt that Van Veen's stare was unnecessary, especially since he still had a dart in hand. Littler recently produced his worst televised average in the Premier League Darts, which he attributed to a lack of practice and not being in the right mindset. He admitted to not wanting to be there and having a poor performance. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the two did not interact with each other, practicing in different rooms. Littler thinks this is normal and that everyone needs to move on from the incident. He believes that other incidents in darts have been more heated, citing arguments between Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney. Littler thinks the rivalry between him and Van Veen will draw more viewers and create an interesting dynamic in the sport.