Gian van Veen has made it clear that he sees no need to sit down with Luke Littler to smooth over the tension that flared during their encounter at Night Nine of the Premier League in Manchester. The Dutchman’s comments, given to Sky Sports, show that his stance on the incident remains unchanged despite recent attempts by Littler to offer his side of the story.
The friction began in early April when van Veen secured a narrow, hard‑fought victory in a match that ended in a dramatic deciding leg. As the final darts were being thrown, Littler turned toward the audience and celebrated, a gesture that van Veen interpreted as a breach of etiquette.
He felt the celebration was directed at the crowd rather than at his opponent, and he accused Littler of being "out of order" for that behaviour. In the heat of the moment, van Veen stared back at Littler, who subsequently missed his own match darts at double and ultimately lost the leg. Littler, for his part, has now spoken publicly about what he believes his celebrations were really aimed at – his girlfriend and his father, who were present in the arena. He also labelled van Veen a "cry baby" for putting his darts down before the leg was finished, and he argued that van Veen had no right to stare at him while he still had three darts to throw.
These remarks were made ahead of the upcoming Premier League Darts night in Rotterdam, where the two could potentially meet again in the semi‑finals. Even after hearing Littler’s explanation, van Veen says his view of the episode has not shifted.
"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," he told Sky Sports.
He added that he holds no hard feelings toward Littler, but he also does not see any benefit in a reconciliation. "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," van Veen said. Van Veen reiterated that both players are entitled to their own opinions and that he has reviewed the video footage repeatedly, concluding that his original assessment remains valid.
"It is what it is and we just have to go forward with it," he summed up. Beyond the immediate dispute, van Veen has been a central figure in the darting conversation over the past weeks. While he enjoys the heightened emotions that come with high‑stakes competition, he prefers to stay on the periphery rather than become a focal point of drama.
"I enjoy it, but only if I’m not involved. I think that’s the best for me," he explained, suggesting that a little controversy can be healthy for the sport, but he does not want to be the one fueling it. Looking ahead, van Veen expressed genuine excitement about the upcoming Rotterdam leg, where he will likely face Littler again.
He expects a fierce battle, noting that Littler will probably raise his average to the 110‑112 range, reflecting his current form. "I am especially looking forward to playing him next, hopefully tomorrow," van Veen said, adding that any future friendship will depend on time and mutual respect. "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, a fellow Dutch star, weighed in on the controversy, suggesting that the media may be exaggerating the significance of the spat. The "Green Machine" compared the situation to his own historic clashes with Phil Taylor, noting that if every heated exchange generated headlines, both he and Taylor would dominate the news cycle 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.
It’s absolutely nothing. Nothing really happened. Otherwise, I could be in the paper with Phil Taylor every week, you know that," van Gerwen said on the Love The Darts podcast.
Commentators Michael Bridge and Chris Murphy also discussed the incident on the same podcast. Murphy emphasized the importance of moving past the episode: "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 that Littler’s flamboyant persona, likened to a WWE villain, may have amplified the reaction, but that most fans would still support him once the dust settled.
Littler himself has prepared for a potentially chilly reception in Rotterdam, recalling similar experiences in Brighton where he was booed by the crowd. He told Online Darts that he expects the worst in any hostile environment, but he plans to shrug it off and focus on his game. "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," he said. He remains confident that his performance will speak for itself, hoping to add points to his league tally and climb back into the top‑four positions.
For van Veen, the Rotterdam night holds special personal significance. He first witnessed the Premier League at the Ahoy venue back in 2016, watching Raymond van Barneveld’s iconic walk‑on. Now, as Dutch No 1 and world No 3, van Veen is eager to experience that moment onstage himself. "I am very excited.
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 is something I am very much looking forward to," he told Sky Sports. He hopes to avoid meeting Michael van Gerwen in the quarter‑finals, wishing to enjoy his debut on home soil without the added pressure of facing his compatriot.
The Premier League continues to travel across Europe, with Rotterdam hosting another crucial night of action. The night’s lineup includes van Veen versus Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen against Jonny Clayton, and a pivotal clash between Luke Littler and Gerwyn Price. As the league points accumulate – five for the winner, three for the runner‑up, and two for each semi‑finalist – the race for the top four spots intensifies, culminating in a Finals Night at The O2 in London on 28 May.
Overall, while the van Veen‑Littler dispute has generated plenty of headlines, both players appear ready to set it aside and focus on their performances. Van Veen’s calm, measured response and Littler’s determination to ignore the boos suggest that the drama will soon give way to the skill and precision that define Premier League darts.