Van Veen Unmoved by Littler Dispute, No Need for Reconciliation

Gian van Veen has made it clear that he sees no reason to sit down with Luke Littler to smooth over the tension that erupted during Night Nine of the Premier League in Manchester. The Dutchman’s stance remains unchanged despite Littler’s recent attempts to explain his side of the story. The controversy began in early April when van Veen clinched a tightly contested match.

In the decisive leg, Littler’s opponent turned toward him while throwing match darts, prompting Littler to celebrate in a manner that van Veen found inappropriate. Van Veen told Sky Sports that Littler was "out of order" for celebrating toward the crowd, a gesture that caused him to stare directly at Littler. The stare seemed to unsettle Littler, who subsequently missed his own match darts at double and ultimately lost the encounter.

Ahead of this week’s Premier League Darts in Rotterdam, Littler finally offered his perspective on the incident during a live Sky Sports broadcast at 6 p.m. He insisted that his celebrations were directed at his girlfriend and his father, not at the audience.

He also recalled calling van Veen a "cry baby" after the Dutchman put his darts down before the leg was finished, and he argued that there was "no need" for van Veen to stare while he still had three darts to throw. Listening to Littler’s version has not altered van Veen’s opinion. He reiterated that he holds no hard feelings, but he also sees no point in revisiting the episode. "It is 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. He added, "If he wants to bury the hatchet, then fine.

I don’t have any hard feelings towards him and I don’t know how it is the other way around, but we will see how it goes. He has his opinion and he is entitled to it. I still have mine.

I have looked back at it, I have seen the videos and I still stand by my opinion. It is what it is and we just have to go forward with it." Van Veen has been at the centre of darting drama over the past few weeks.

While he enjoys the occasional aggression that adds spice to the sport, he prefers to remain a spectator rather than a participant in such confrontations. "I enjoy it, but only if I’m not involved.

I think that’s the best for me," he explained. "I think it is good for the sport to have a bit of needle here and there, but you never want to be involved." Nevertheless, he looks forward to meeting Littler again on the oche.

"Of course, I am looking forward to the next time I’m playing him. He will probably be fired up even more, he will probably average 110 or 112 against me but that is how good he is.

I am especially looking forward to playing him next, hopefully tomorrow. For sure we can be friends in the future. Like I said, there is no hard feelings from my side. It all happened in the heat of the moment and he has got his opinion, I have got mine, that is how it goes." Michael van Gerwen, often referred to as the "Green Machine," weighed in on the situation, suggesting that the media may be blowing the incident out of proportion.

He compared it to his own historic clashes with Phil Taylor, noting that if this spat were truly monumental, both he and Taylor would have dominated headlines weekly. "You all know there’s been a million incidents. People like to make it a story, people love to write about things, try to make it big. I’ve done a lot of interviews over the years, I know exactly what you want to hear out of my mouth.

This is absolutely nothing. Nothing really happened. Otherwise, I could be in the paper with Phil Taylor every week, you know that. It’s also emotions, things like that.

It happens." The debate was also featured on the "Love The Darts" podcast, where hosts Michael Bridge and Chris Murphy dissected the fallout. Murphy remarked, "It’s actually whether we can park it and move on.

It seemed to spill over not just from the night it happened but into the next week. It’s about whether Littler can put that to one side and get back to what he’s good at – winning darts matches." Bridge added, "Littler likes the WWE pantomime villain. I don’t see any problem with needle whatsoever.

Gian is a nice, mild‑mannered guy and I think it didn’t help in terms of what Luke did. I’d say 99.9 per cent of those people booing him, if they see him outside, they’ll want a picture." Bridge also noted a dip in Littler’s performance after the incident, citing an average of 83.0 against Stephen Bunting in Brighton as evidence that the controversy may have affected his focus.

"That would be my concern going forward. I don’t want it to spiral out of control." Littler himself has been candid about the hostile reception he anticipates in Rotterdam. Speaking to Online Darts, he said, "I’m expecting the worst anyway. When I go to Liverpool, go to Leeds, just expect the worst.

If the crowd’s not that bad, then you take it on the chin but I expect the worst. Even in Brighton when everyone was booing me, I just shrugged my shoulders, and in my head I was like, ‘It’s been a week, why haven’t you forgotten about it?’ I didn’t react to the fans during the game. In Rotterdam I will give it a bit if I win.

I’m sure I will get booed. I’m learning, I just play my game and see how it plays out." He continued, "I can be as good as I want.

I didn’t have much preparation for Brighton. I didn’t want to be there because of the fans, but that’s going to happen. I’m sure this week will be the same from the crowd.

I’ll definitely somehow get better. Hopefully we need to get a few more points on the board, a few nightly wins. Like Jonny said, ‘I’m chasing him now.’ Jonny Clayton said he’s only bothered about top four, so I can definitely go chasing that top spot again.

I’ll definitely come alive and hopefully I can come alive these next few weeks." Van Veen, now in his debut season of the Premier League, is no stranger to the Rotterdam Ahoy venue. He recalls attending the inaugural Premier League night there in 2016, when Raymond van Barneveld made his iconic walk‑on. "As a kid, the first time it was ever held in the Ahoy Rotterdam, I was there in the crowd with the legendary Raymond van Barneveld walk‑on. Now to get to experience that myself, it is something I am very much looking forward to, especially as Dutch No 1, world No 3 – it is a dream coming true.

My only hope for Rotterdam was to not play Michael in the quarters so I could experience it on my own. Thankfully it didn’t happen, so I can walk out on that stage and discuss with Michael a little bit how it feels, so I can be a little bit prepared." The Premier League continues to travel across the English Channel, with Rotterdam hosting another decisive night of action. Gian van Veen will host Luke Humphries on his first home‑soil Premier League night, while Michael van Gerwen faces Jonny Clayton. Luke Littler will clash with Gerwyn Price in a pivotal match near the top of the table, and Stephen Bunting will look to secure a place in the Play‑Offs against Josh Rock.

Points are awarded each night – five for the winner, three for the runner‑up and two for each semi‑finalist – to determine the top four who will advance to the Finals Night at The O2 in London on 28 May. Fans can follow the drama on Sky Sports, stream the Premier League Darts via NOW, and stay updated through Sky Sports’ WhatsApp channel for the latest news, videos, and analysis.