Mike De Decker blasts Dutch Darts Masters as he snubs taking part in with Luke Littler
Mike De Decker was set to be one of eight Benelux representatives at the Dutch Darts Masters, which gets underway on January 24 in Den Bosch, but has decided to skip the event
Mike De Decker slammed the organisers of the Dutch Darts Masters after snubbing an invite to join the event.
Still stewing over his exclusion from this year’s Premier League Darts as the first reigning World Grand Prix champion to be sidelined in 20 years, the Belgian star didn’t mince words when calling that decision “scandalous”.
Dubbed ‘The Real Deal’, De Decker has now passed up the chance to go head-to-head with some of darts elite at the Dutch Darts Masters, slated for a January 24 start in Den Bosch, despite the organisers pitching him a spot among the eight Benelux dartists set to line up against the likes of Luke Littler, Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries.
He said: “I only the got the email last week saying they wanted me to be there. But I’m in Dubai on holiday around those days so I can’t. If only they could have let me know earlier.
“And for the starting money I get, I’m not going to reschedule my vacation. Then it would cost me more than it gives me. So I won’t be there.”
De Decker also took a jab at the choice of venue, hinting his preference for an invite to a more exotic darting destination on the circuits calendar. He said: “The World Series is not a tournament I was looking forward to anyway, and certainly not the one in the Netherlands.
“If you get invited then you want to go to Bahrain or Australia. At least those are nice countries. Of all the places where those tournaments are, you don’t want to be invited to Den Bosch.”
Ahead of the World Darts Championship, De Decker looked in sterling shape but was caught off-guard with an unexpected tumble against Luke Woodhouse in the initial round. Nevertheless, Den Bosch spectators won’t be short on local talent to rally behind in his absence.
Darting legend Raymond van Barneveld is gearing up to battle it out with the likes of Danny Noppert, Jermaine Wattimena, and Kevin Doets. Alongside them, eight PDC stalwarts will lock horns for the coveted title and the tidy £20,000 purse that accompanies victory.
Hot on the heels of clinching his maiden world crown is Littler, with Humphries topping the charts as the world No. 1. Meanwhile, Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price, and Chris Dobey are riding high from their impressive strides at Alexandra Palace.
