“And if he did, then you should tell Kirk Bevins that he’s a terrible referee” — Drama between Cullen and Suljovic at the PDC World Darts Championship exposes officiating role

The match between Joe Cullen and Mensur Suljovic at the PDC World Darts Championship sparked plenty of debate. After Cullen’s 3-1 defeat, discussion flared over slow play, irritation on stage, and alleged unsporting conduct. Former pro Vincent van der Voort spoke extensively about it on the podcast Darts Draait Door, pointing chiefly to the role of the organisers and the refereeing.

In sporting terms, the contest did not reach an exceptional level. Suljovic won with an 82 average, while Cullen stalled at 87. According to Van der Voort, the pattern matched what is often seen with Cullen. “Cullen was good in the first round. Today he just didn’t have it,” he said. “He started reasonably well, but he didn’t have the same level as in the first round. That’s a big problem with Cullen: either he’s very good, or his level drops off too much.”

The commotion stemmed mainly from Suljovic’s behavior after winning legs. The Austrian visibly took a long time to retrieve his darts and frequently moved off to the side of the stage. “When Suljović checks out those legs, he tends to walk away from the oche instead of retrieving his darts,” Van der Voort explained. “He makes a half-step forward and then moves to the side. It simply takes a very long time.”

Van der Voort said that behavior in itself does not breach the rules. “There’s nothing that says it isn’t allowed,” he emphasised. “I later read that Cullen considered it cheating, but if you think that, then you have to go to the referee.”

With that, Van der Voort firmly shifts the focus to the officiating. In his view, Cullen should have done more during the match than express his frustration once. “Then you have to stop the game and say that he’s cheating,” Van der Voort said. “If he does it again after that, then you have to look at what the sanctions are.”

The podcast referenced possible measures, such as warnings or docking a leg, but Van der Voort stressed that this is only possible if someone intervenes. “If Cullen doesn’t agree with it, then he has to ask about it,” he said. “What are you going to do now? This has never really been resolved.”

He pointed to earlier examples. “Gary Anderson experienced exactly the same thing against Suljović five or six years ago. I believe that was also at the World Championship, without an audience. He said exactly the same thing.”

Van der Voort left open whether Suljovic uses his behavior deliberately to knock opponents out of rhythm. “That’s hard to judge with him,” he said. Vlottes also indicated that he didn’t immediately think it was intentional. “Maybe that guy is just like that,” he said.

Afterward, Suljovic seemed unaware of any wrongdoing and congratulated Cullen exuberantly. That only added to the irritation for some. Van der Voort also nuanced that moment. “That’s the advantage if you can’t speak English, or say that you can’t speak English. You can always say: I don’t understand what’s happening here.”

At the same time, he considered it plausible that Suljovic did realise Cullen was frustrated. “I think he definitely realised that Cullen had had enough,” Van der Voort said. “But he was completely focused on his own game, his own world.”

Van der Voort stressed that he himself does not enjoy watching Suljovic’s behavior either. “I find it annoying too,” he admitted. “But I don’t think he actually did anything wrong. And if he did, then you should tell Kirk Bevins that he’s a terrible referee, because then he hasn’t done his job properly.”

According to Van der Voort, the debate points to a larger issue within the PDC: rules that exist but are not enforced consistently. “I hear a lot of people complaining,” he said. “Not only about this, but also about walk-ons taking too long. Then the PDC comes out with a weak, watered-down message like: ‘Guys, could you please move along a bit more?’"

Van der Voort believes clear consequences are missing. “Then they say: ‘I’m not doing that.’ Okay. And then nothing happens. In that case, you just have to take action.”

He drew a comparison with other on-stage rules. “That zone you’re not allowed to stand in isn’t there for nothing,” he said. “Michael van Gerwen often stands halfway over it. Nothing is ever done about it. That means those rules are pointless.”