Sky Sports had to issue an on-air apology after Ricardo Pietreczko swore on live TV following his win over Gian van Veen at the PDC World Darts Championship
Sky Sports had to say sorry after darts ace Ricardo Pietreczko’s PDC World Darts Championship interview went live following his triumph over Gian van Veen.
Pietreczko secured his spot in the third round with a 3-1 win on the final evening before the break till December 27. The German star impressed with a double success rate of over 50 per cent, toppling the seeded Van Veen brilliantly.
The victory marked a significant comeback for Pietreczko, who suffered a defeat by Darren Beveridge in October at the Players Championship. The 30-year-old is now set to face Scott Williams, who beat Rob Cross, in the upcoming round and will no doubt aim to keep it clean to stay in Sky Sports’ good books after he swore on live TV, reports the Mirror.
Speaking to the broadcaster following his win, Pietreczko said: “It’s really important for me because the players’ championship, it was a very s**** game for me. On stage, I love the Ally Pally and yeah, really important for me.
“Fifty per cent on doubles? I can’t speak on the doubles. I don’t know, I’m over the moon. I love the big stage and I love the crowd here. Thank you for this round and thank you very much.”
However, it was Pietreczko’s slip of the s-word that prompted Sky presenter Emma Paton to interject: “Apologies for some of the language that you heard there.”
Despite the gaffe, Pietreczko’s confidence remains unshaken, as noted by Sky commentator Stuart Pyke. Pyke said: “A brilliant win from Ricardo Pietreczko. He almost beat Luke Humphries last year, but this year he’s beat Gian van Veen. The difference was his finishing class.”
Glen Durrant was full of praise, remarking: “I am so impressed by Ricardo Pietreczko. We said earlier his doubling was his strength and that has proven to be the case. People will say this isn’t a shock but it is.”
Pietreczko has had his ups and downs with the Ally Pally audience, having expressed before his first game against Xiaochen Zong: “This whistling and stuff like that – nobody likes that. People always say that you have to be professional enough to block it all out. The booing and the background noise, you stop hearing them at some point.”
“But when you hear a shrill whistle like that, you lose your concentration completely. Anyone who disrupts the game should no longer be part of the event.”
He added: “I always say that I go to a tournament because I want to win. I said that last year.”