Luke Littler warned ‘WWE’ behaviour may have penalties after Gian van Veen fall-out

Luke Littler is the most talked about star in the whole of darts, but the World No. 1 has been sent a warning about his behaviour

Luke Littler has been cautioned that his spiky darts demeanour will only fuel the boo boys further. The World No. 1 returns to Premier League action this evening when he takes on Gerwyn Price in Rotterdam.

He might find himself facing a chorus of jeers following his clash with Dutch favourite Gian van Veen in Manchester. During the decisive leg, Van Veen believed Littler was celebrating after he missed double 15 by finishing inside.

The 19-year-old then reacted by yelling at Van Veen after he turned away, before encouraging the Manchester audience to increase their volume, only to miss three attempts at a double himself. Once Van Veen struck double six to claim the match, Littler shook his hand and sarcastically said “well done” before marching off the stage.

A fortnight following that confrontation, darts pundit Michael Bridge told the Love the Darts Podcast: “I just, it’s difficult because obviously he likes the WWE pantomime style in terms of it. I don’t think there’s any problem with needle whatsoever.

“I think, you know, Gian is a very nice, mild-mannered guy, and I think that probably didn’t help in terms of Luke. I’d say 99.9 per cent of those people booing him, if they see him outside, will want a picture and will want that signed. It’s just, it did affect him.

“There’s no doubt about it. You look at that average, and he couldn’t wait to get out of there. That’s it. And that would probably be my concern going forward, how much it’s going to happen and how much it could affect him.

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“I think he just needs to go home, and I think he has done that. He’s a real family man, real family lad. The people he’s close with, he’s incredibly close with. It’s just, you know, it’s difficult because with darts, it’s never-ending – exhibition, darts, exhibition, darts. You don’t give yourself time to breathe.

“But unfortunately, you are in the spotlight now. You are the number one. You’re beyond a top dart player. You’re a top sports person. You’re going to be invited to the Brits and this and that. You are number one.

“But remember, you’re there for a reason, because you’ve been incredibly good at darts and you’ve been incredibly good for the sport. And I just hope he doesn’t throw it away by going too far. I just don’t want it to spiral out of control, basically.”

Littler has not shied away from clashing with fellow professionals or with the darts fans themselves. He notoriously has a turbulent relationship with German darts supporters, whose raucous and one-sided behaviour has clearly rattled him.

Littler, who has yet to claim a darts title in Germany, even threatened to boycott all Euro tour events in the country following the hostile reception. The Alexandra Palace audience also turned against him during his triumph over Rob Cross at the World Championship, after they began backing the former World No. 3.