Dutch darts player Gian van Veen has stated that he doesn't need to talk to Luke Littler to resolve their on-stage dispute from Night Nine of the Premier League in Manchester. Van Veen emerged victorious in a contentious match where Littler reacted angrily after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing darts in the deciding leg. Van Veen believes Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which led to their confrontation.
Littler recently shared his perspective on the incident, claiming his celebrations were directed at his girlfriend and father, and that Van Veen was a 'cry baby' for putting his darts down before the match was over. However, Van Veen's opinion on the matter remains unchanged.
'It's a difficult one. For myself, not really [I don't need a conversation]. He said his piece the other day. I still have the same view as I had two weeks ago when it all happened,' Van Veen said.
Van Veen insists there are no hard feelings between them and is looking forward to potentially facing Littler in the semi-finals. The Dutch player has been at the center of attention in the darts world recently and enjoys the competitive spirit, but prefers not to be directly involved in conflicts. Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen believes the incident between Littler and Van Veen has been blown out of proportion.
Van Gerwen thinks that if the incident was significant, he and Phil Taylor would have been in the news every week due to their past clashes. The Premier League Darts will continue in Rotterdam, where Littler expects a hostile reception from the crowd.
Despite this, he is focused on his game and hopes to improve his performance. Van Veen, on the other hand, is excited to play in front of his home crowd and is looking forward to experiencing the walk-on at the Rotterdam Ahoy, a moment he has dreamed of since watching Raymond van Barneveld's famous walk-on in 2016.