‘Don’t know what I did wrong’ – Gian van Veen reacts to ‘out of order’ Luke Littler after huge Premier League darts row

Gian van Veen slammed Luke Littler as “out of order” following a dramatic and fiery finish to their Premier League Darts clash.

The 23-year-old Dutchman edged a tense 6-5 victory in their quarter-final showdown in Manchester, but the match ended in controversy as tensions boiled over on stage.

A visibly furious Littler stormed off immediately after the final dart, following a heated exchange between the two players.

The teenage star appeared to celebrate when Van Veen turned around after missing a crucial opportunity to seal the win. Moments later, Littler reacted angrily, gesturing toward his opponent before missing two match darts of his own and making a mocking cry-baby gesture to the crowd.

Van Veen returned to the oche and punished those misses, sealing his spot in the semi-finals. The pair shared only a brief and frosty handshake after the match.

Speaking afterwards, Van Veen admitted he was left frustrated by Littler’s reaction during the closing stages.

He said: “From my perspective, I missed double 15 and I was already annoyed with myself because I hit it on the inside. Then I looked up and saw him celebrating towards the crowd after I missed.

“I thought, ‘that’s out of order’. I was fuming, and he probably noticed that.

“Then he missed three darts at double seven and looked at me like I had done something wrong. I didn’t understand it because he was the one celebrating my miss.

“He missed, I took my chance, and of course he’s probably upset. But that’s darts — that’s just how I see it.”

Littler, 19, kept the tension alive off the stage by taking to Instagram, where he posted three laughing-crying emojis over Van Veen’s comments.

The world No.1 also shared a screenshot highlighting his PDC title haul, adding the message: “Goodnight, God bless, thank you Manchester.”

Despite the clash, Van Veen insisted there is no bad blood, while suggesting Littler still has lessons to learn in defeat.

He added: “I love Luke. He’s an incredible player and what he’s done for the sport is amazing. The attention he’s brought is huge. But this is also part of the game — and today was my day.”

Van Veen went on to beat Josh Rock 6-3 in the next round, before falling 6-2 to Gerwyn Price in the Night Nine final.