LUKE HUMPHRIES has come under fire after being accused of backtracking on his criticism of disruptive fans at the Nordic Darts Masters.
The world No. 2 was visibly frustrated following his dramatic 8-7 defeat to Michael van Gerwen in Saturday night’s final in Copenhagen.
After the match, Humphries voiced concerns about crowd behaviour, suggesting that many top players are becoming increasingly frustrated by whistles and other distractions from spectators during matches.
However, former professional Vincent van der Voort was unimpressed when Humphries appeared to soften his stance less than 24 hours later with a message posted on social media.
Writing on X, Humphries said: “Sorry for the emotion on the stage today guys. I want to congratulate Michael van Gerwen on a fantastic win tonight. Fully deserved.
“I hope everyone understands that I just want to give you all the best games and the best entertainment.
“It’s been a difficult few months trying to find myself again. I’m getting closer to where I want to be, and I want to thank all my fans for their continued support.
“See you next weekend at the World Cup.”
Van der Voort believes the former world champion weakened his original argument by changing his tone so quickly.
Speaking on the Darts Draait Door Podcast, the Dutchman said: “He was clearly irritated and completely fed up with the crowd.
“You could see it in the interview afterwards. His face said it all — he wasn’t in the mood.
“Then the next day he puts out what I think is a cowardly statement on social media, thanking the fans again.
“That kind of thing is often handled by management. Personally, I thought it was good that he finally spoke out.
“You travel all the way to Copenhagen to entertain the crowd and then get booed and distracted throughout the match.
“If that’s how you genuinely feel, then don’t take it back the very next day.”
Humphries will now shift his focus to the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, where he will once again team up with Luke Littler as England look to challenge for the title.
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