Littler Explains 'Cry Baby' Remark Directed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on why he referred to Gian van Veen as 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 disputed match earlier in April, during which Littler reacted angrily after Van Veen turned towards him while throwing match darts in a dramatic deciding leg. Van Veen later told Sky Sports that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which caused him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now spoken out about the incident, stating that Van Veen had put his darts down and was not being respectful. Littler believes Van Veen was the one who was not doing his job and that there was no need for him to put his darts down. When Van Veen won, Littler congratulated him and picked up his darts. Littler also stated that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. He added that he was looking up at the TV, thinking that Van Veen would not miss, and that he did a little fist bump towards his girlfriend and her dad, which is when the fans started screaming. Littler felt that Van Veen should have stepped back, looked at the floor, and then thrown his last dart instead of staring at him. Littler recently produced his worst televised average in the Premier League Darts, which he attributed to a lack of practice and not wanting to be there. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the pair did not speak to each other, practicing in different rooms. Littler thinks that other incidents in darts were more heated than his exchange with Van Veen and that their rivalry will draw in more viewers.