Luke Littler openly acknowledges that he has not had a conversation with Dutch rival Gian van Veen since their heated encounter in Manchester, but he maintains that the issue has been put behind them. The two competitors were at the centre of a dramatic on‑stage argument three weeks ago during a Premier League Darts match, when the reigning back‑to‑back world champion was accused of gloating after van Veen missed a crucial match dart.
The tension lingered through a chilly handshake at the conclusion of the game and spilled over onto social media, where each player has since reinforced his own version of events. Littler makes it clear that he has not reached out to the Dutchman to smooth things over. "No, we haven't spoken. I'm not the sort of person who goes up to someone and tries to make peace," he told Sky Sports.
He added that perhaps van Veen is waiting for him to make the first move, but Littler prefers to let others initiate any dialogue. "Even in the practice room, people will talk to me first. I'm not the type who just starts chatting," he explained.
Despite the lingering personal distance, Littler is eager to meet van Veen again on the oche, should both advance to one of the upcoming finals in Aberdeen, Leeds or Birmingham. "We can obviously settle it on the darts board," he said, "but backstage everything has been normal and our preparation has stayed the same. I think he's forgotten about it, I've forgotten about it. I moved on the next day and even went on holiday." The fallout from the Manchester incident has followed Littler around the circuit.
In Rotterdam last week he faced a hostile crowd, and a few days later in Liverpool he again encountered a chilly atmosphere. Nevertheless, he managed to quiet the dissenters with an impressive performance, dispatching Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Jonny Clayton on his way to a night‑long victory. When asked whether he regrets his conduct in Manchester, Littler was unequivocal: "No, I don't regret anything. Obviously I have my opinion and he's got his opinion, and we're both entitled to them.
I think we've both moved on with our game on stage, but off stage we haven't spoken. It has been a tough couple of weeks, but I just had to get on with it. Just playing darts, that's what I've done now, winning this night gives me confidence." Littler's relationship with the city of Liverpool has never been particularly warm, partly because he is a vocal Manchester United supporter and often jokes about Anfield's fortunes on social media.
However, he says the reception in Liverpool was nothing compared with the hostility he experienced in van Veen's home turf of Rotterdam. "If it gets worse than that, then something's wrong," he remarked.
"Rotterdam was far worse than tonight. I even proved last week that I can win games under those circumstances.
There was no anxiety, I just expected the worst, but it wasn't worse than Rotterdam. That's the worst I've experienced." Looking ahead, Littler remains focused on his own game and on the upcoming stages of the Premier League Darts season. He acknowledges that the dispute has added extra pressure, but he also believes it has sharpened his resolve. "The success on the banks of the Mersey will mean more to me than most of my many victories," he said, hinting that a strong showing in Liverpool could be a personal vindication.
The Premier League Darts schedule continues with weekly Thursday fixtures leading up to the finals in May, all broadcast on Sky Sports and available for streaming via NOW. Fans can follow the drama, the high‑scoring legs and the occasional backstage tension as the season unfolds. Whether Littler and van Veen will finally meet again on the oche remains to be seen, but both players have signalled that the darts board, not words, will decide the outcome when the time comes.