Luke Littler says he still hasn’t spoken with Gian van Veen since their on-stage confrontation in Manchester, but insists the incident is behind him.
The two players collided at a Premier League event three weeks ago after Van Veen was accused of celebrating when Littler missed a match dart. The game ended with a chilly handshake and a social-media exchange, with both men sticking to their own versions of what happened.
Littler confirmed there has been no private attempt to clear the air. He said he is not the sort of person to approach others first and that, if a resolution is to come, it will likely be on the oche should they meet again in the finals in Aberdeen, Leeds or Birmingham. He added that backstage routines have remained normal and that both appear to have moved on: “Maybe he’s waiting for me to go and talk to him, but I’m not the type of person to do that… I think he’s forgotten about it. I’ve forgotten about it. I moved on the day after, went on holiday.”
The fallout has followed Littler, with hostile receptions in Rotterdam and Liverpool, yet he responded strongly on stage in Liverpool, beating Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Jonny Clayton on his way to victory. He says he has no regrets about how he handled the Manchester incident: “I don’t regret anything. Obviously, I have my opinion, he’s got his opinion, so we’re all entitled to it.”
Littler described the past fortnight as tough but said he focused on playing and letting results speak for him. The Liverpool win boosted his confidence, he added.
A Manchester United fan who has previously taunted Liverpool on social media, Littler admitted the crowd in Liverpool was hostile but not as severe as the reaction he faced in Rotterdam. “If it gets worse than that, then something’s wrong,” he said, calling Rotterdam the worst reception he’s experienced.
Premier League Darts continues on Thursday nights, culminating in the finals in May.