Dutch darts player Gian van Veen remains unmoved by Luke Littler's recent comments regarding their contentious match at the Premier League in Manchester. Van Veen emerged victorious in a closely contested and dramatic deciding leg, which sparked a heated reaction from Littler. The English player had celebrated towards the crowd, prompting Van Veen to stare at him, a move Littler felt was unnecessary.
Van Veen, however, stands by his actions, stating that Littler was out of order and that his celebrations were misplaced. Despite Littler's insistence that his celebrations were directed at his girlfriend and dad, Van Veen's opinion on the incident remains unchanged. He expressed that he doesn't need a conversation with Littler to bury the hatchet, but also emphasized that he holds no hard feelings towards his fellow player. The spat has sparked debate within the darts community, with some, like Michael van Gerwen, downplaying the incident and attributing it to the emotional nature of the game.
Van Gerwen believes that too much is being made of the controversy, drawing parallels with his own fiery clashes with Phil Taylor. Meanwhile, commentators Michael Bridge and Chris Murphy discussed the incident on the Love The Darts podcast, with Murphy suggesting that it's time to move on and Bridge expressing his concern that the controversy might affect Littler's performance.
Littler himself has spoken out about the incident, stating that he expects a frosty welcome from the Dutch crowd in Rotterdam but remains focused on his game. As the Premier League Darts continues, Van Veen is set to face Luke Humphries on his home soil, while Littler will face Gerwyn Price in a crucial battle. The tournament will conclude with the top four players progressing to Finals Night at The O2 in London on May 28.