Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Directed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the reason behind his 'cry baby' comment towards Gian van Veen following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. According to Littler, Van Veen essentially gave up towards the end of the match, prompting the remark. The controversy began when Van Veen won a disputed match earlier in April, during which Littler reacted angrily 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 led him to stare at Littler, causing Littler to miss his match darts and eventually lose. However, Littler has now shared his side of the story, revealing that as he walked back, Van Veen had put his darts down, which Littler perceived as disrespectful. Littler believes Van Veen was the one who failed to maintain respect and that there was no need for him to put his darts down or stare at him while he still had not thrown his three darts. Littler also mentioned that when Van Veen won, he congratulated him and picked up his darts. Additionally, Littler stated that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had a dart in hand, and that he should have instead focused on throwing his last dart. Littler produced his worst televised average last week in Brighton, which he attributed to a lack of practice and a general lack of enthusiasm. He also mentioned that he and Van Veen did not speak to each other after their respective losses and practiced in different rooms, which Littler considers normal. Littler thinks that other incidents in darts have been more heated than his exchange with Van Veen and believes that the rivalry between them will continue, with potential matchups in the semi-finals in Rotterdam.