Littler Explains Reason Behind 'Cry Baby' Remark Aimed at Van Veen

Luke Littler has shed light on the incident that led him to label Gian van Veen a 'cry baby' following their intense Premier League Darts match in Manchester. Littler claims Van Veen essentially conceded at the end of the match, prompting the remark. The controversy began when Van Veen won a contentious match, and Littler reacted angrily to Van Veen's actions during the deciding leg. Van Veen had stated that Littler was 'out of order' for celebrating towards the crowd, which caused him to stare at Littler. However, Littler has now spoken about the incident, explaining that Van Veen had put his darts down in front of him, which he believed was disrespectful. Littler stated, 'I think he's the one who's not doing his job, obviously being respectful. I think that's the first-ever time I've seen someone put their darts down in front of my face.' Littler also mentioned that he called Van Veen a 'cry baby' because there was no need for Van Veen's actions. He added that when Van Veen won, he congratulated him and picked up his darts. Littler also expressed that there was no need for Van Veen to stare at him when he still had not thrown his three darts. He said, 'From my point of view, I'm looking up at the TV, I'm just thinking in my head, 'he's not going to miss. Even if he gets a shot at the bullseye, Gian's one of the best bull hitters in the game'.' Littler had produced his worst televised average the previous week in Brighton, which he attributed to a lack of practice and not being in the right mindset. Van Veen also lost his first match, and the pair did not interact with each other. Littler believes that the incident will create a rivalry between them, but he is focused on his darts and is looking forward to the upcoming matches.