“Obviously, the Germans musn’t like us English” – Luke Littler reflects on PDC’s crowd troubles over recent weeks
“Maybe the Germans Just Don’t Like Us” — Luke Littler Addresses Booing Controversy After Premier League Darts Night in Berlin
Luke Littler, the 18-year-old darts prodigy, reached the semi-finals during Night Ten of the Premier League Darts in Manchester on Thursday. But before taking to the oche, he opened up about the negative crowd reception he experienced the previous week in Berlin.
Littler was booed throughout his match in Germany, visibly showing signs of frustration as the match progressed. He eventually suffered a 6-2 quarter-final defeat to Chris Dobey, walking off stage clearly agitated.
“I had a little head-loss moment, as some of us players do,” Littler told Oche180. “You do your walk-on, and then suddenly you’re getting booed the minute you step on stage. I just don’t get it.”
Unfortunately, Littler’s experience wasn’t an isolated incident. The International Darts Open in Riesa also saw crowd unrest, with fans booing several players. Even Nathan Aspinall voiced his frustrations after his match, calling out the audience’s behavior in his post-match interview.
Littler believes there’s a recurring pattern, especially when playing in Germany:
“I got booed in Hildesheim last year too — it was against Peter Wright. I was playing really well, and then the boos started. Even when I went 1-0 up, they didn’t stop. He went on to beat me 5-1, and it completely turned the match.”
Although disappointed, Littler accepts that hostile crowds are part of the game:
“It’s something we all have to deal with. Some fans clearly single out certain players. Me and Luke Humphries, for example, seem to get it a lot. Honestly, maybe the Germans just don’t like us English,” he added with a wry smile.
In stark contrast to the atmosphere in Berlin, Littler enjoyed overwhelming support during Night Ten in Manchester. Despite the encouragement from home fans, he fell short of securing what would have been his record-breaking fifth weekly win, losing 6-4 to Luke Humphries in the semi-finals.
Still, Littler remains firmly at the top of the Premier League table, and continues to be one of the tournament’s standout performers.
