Luke Littler able to boycott whole nation after abuse at darts occasion
Luke Littler has been booed by the Amsterdam crowd at the World Series of Darts Finals – and he’s threatened to boycott the entire country
Luke Littler has threatened to boycott tournaments in the Netherlands. (Image: Dean Mouhtaropoulos, Getty Images)
Luke Littler has warned that he will not play in the Netherlands if fans don’t stop booing him. The World No.1 was in World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam over the weekend.
But he got a hostile reception from the crowd throughout the tournament. The 19-year-old beat Dutch player Danny Noppert 6-4 in the first round. The referee was forced to request the crowd to stop during his second-round match against Nathan Aspinall.
The request did make a difference, although whistles could still be heard throughout the match. Despite the hostility, Littler’s 180s were met with cheers from the watching fans.
Luke Littler has received a hostile reception in the Netherlands. (Image: Dean Mouhtaropoulos, Getty Images)
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Speaking afterwards, the teenager called out the crowd’s conduct. Another flashpoint saw someone yelling just as Aspinall prepared to throw for a crucial leg.
Littler already refuses to compete in Germany due to his treatment there. He’s “100 per cent” ready to adopt the same approach in the Netherlands following this week’s events
He told Online Darts: “With the Germans, I haven’t been for a long time, we will have to see in Dortmund (for the European Championship) whether it changes or stays the same. If the Dutch stay like this, then I’m not going to do any Euro tours over there.
“There’s just no point in me travelling, wasting my time while I’m getting booed. I just want to play my darts, obviously sign autographs.
“The past two nights, I’ve done nothing; I’ve just walked off stage without thanking anybody. There’s no point thanking everyone when they are booing me.”
These remarks stand in sharp contrast to Littler’s words following his opening-round victory over Noppert. He had previously accepted the jeers on that occasion, recognising they were par for the course, but the persistent whistling, even when not facing a Dutch opponent this weekend, appears to have prompted Littler to shift his position.
He said: “Yeah, I think I just had to do it for myself, didn’t I? But then I also had to give the crowd a bit, because everyone needs to know it’s not every throw, it’s every dart – whistle, boo.
“But yeah, if that’s what I’ve got to deal with for the next 10, 15, 20 years, then I’m all there for it.”
It’s yet to be determined whether his recent remarks will have any effect on the Dutch audience during Sunday’s quarter-final clash with Jonny Clayton. Littler would meet either Gerwyn Price or James Wade in the semi-finals should he secure another victory.
