"Didn’t do it to him, I did it to Faith, her dad and the crowd": Luke Littler gives his side to Gian van Veen heated Premier League Darts incident

Luke Littler admitted he “just didn’t want to be there” during a difficult Premier League night in Brighton, as he spoke candidly about form, fan reaction, and the fallout from his on-stage clash with Gian van Veen in Manchester.

Speaking to Online Darts in Bournemouth, the teenage star also reflected on his rapid rise, learning to deal with pressure, and why he believes he can still improve.

Away from the intensity of the Premier League, Littler was in relaxed mood during an exhibition on the South Coast. “It’s not too bad. Obviously these exhibitions are good, you meet the fans and this is really the only place where you can just throw your darts and have a bit of fun. But yeah, in for another good night here in Bournemouth.”

With large queues for photos before the event, he added, “Get the photos out of the way with the VIPs and then all the crazy lot are still to come in.”

Assessing his campaign so far, Littler admitted it has been inconsistent. “It didn’t go to plan the first few weeks, then I got myself back up there with a few wins and obviously Jonny’s gone to first now. Thursday night didn’t go to plan, obviously the worst average, I didn’t know that. I knew it was pretty bad.”

He also revealed a lack of preparation and motivation contributed to that performance. “Even when I got on stage, I just didn’t want to be there, I just couldn’t be bothered. I think I only had about 16 to 18 hours at home so didn’t get much time to practise.

“I practised before the game but it didn’t go to plan, but obviously we look forward to Rotterdam.”

Littler addressed the incident involving Gian van Veen, insisting he has already moved on and others should too. “I wouldn’t say the fallout, it is what it is, it’s done. Obviously the fans in Brighton didn’t let it go, I let it go. I think everyone needs to forget about it now. Me and Gian haven’t spoken but I’m sure we will.”

Explaining the moment, Littler stressed his reaction was aimed at supporters, not his opponent. “I’m looking up at the TV, I’m just thinking in my head, he’s not going to miss. Even if he gets a shot at the bull, Gian’s one of the best bulleters in the game.

“When he came inside the double 15, I looked up, had a drink of my water and then I did a little fist bump towards Faith and her dad.”

As the crowd reacted, Littler admitted he responded. “That’s when the fans started on that side, they were all screaming, so then I was like that to them, come on, and then the whole arena.”

However, he felt van Veen’s reaction escalated things unnecessarily. “There was no need for Gian to look back and stare at me. He’s still got a dart in hand so really he should just step back, look at the floor and then throw his last dart.”

He also clarified his intentions directly. “I didn’t do it to him, I did it to Faith, her dad and the crowd.”

Littler also claimed there were parts of the exchange that were not widely seen. “What other people didn’t see was as I walked back round, I’m still looking that way, he’s put his darts down on the table. No one sees that. So really I think he’s the one who’s not doing his job, obviously being respectful.”

The teenager admitted he reacted in the moment. “I came inside, called him a crybaby because there was no need for it and there was no need for him to put his darts down. Then when he won, I picked my darts up and said, ‘Well done, you got the win.’”

Littler was not surprised by the scale of the reaction online. “I knew it was going to blow up, everything blows up. But even me and my family said in the past there’s been worse exchanges, like Gerwyn Price and Daryl Gurney."

Despite the controversy, he acknowledged the wider impact. “It’s great, obviously it gets more people watching and now people want to watch me. You only think there’s obviously going to be a rivalry. There’s a few times I’ve beaten him, just like all the other players, we’ve got rivalries with each other.”

With upcoming Premier League nights in major venues, Littler is bracing himself for difficult atmospheres. “I’m expecting the worst anyway. Even if Gezzy does go to Rotterdam, or when I go to Liverpool or Leeds, just expect the worst. If the crowd’s not that bad then you take it on the chin, but yeah, expect the worst.”

At the same time, he is learning how to deal with that environment. “Even in Brighton when everyone was booing me, I just shrugged my shoulders. In my head I was like, it’s been a week, why haven’t you forgotten about it? I’m learning. I didn’t react to the fans during the game, didn’t do anything.”

He added, “If I win then I’ll give it a bit, obviously even getting booed, I’m sure I will, but yeah, I’m learning just to play my game.”

Littler acknowledged that his rapid rise means he is still developing compared to more experienced professionals. “The older players have been on tour for years and years, they’ve learnt across the years, where I’ve just gone from nothing to straight in the limelight. I’m still learning on and off the oche how to handle stuff.”

He added, “As long as I learn myself and people back me, my family, then I’m only going to get better.”

Despite already producing standout performances, Littler believes there is much more to come. “I can be as good as I want. Obviously like I said, I didn’t have much preparation for Brighton and I didn’t want to be there because of the fans, but that’s going to happen. I’m sure next week will be the same but I’ll definitely somehow get better.”

With the race for the top intensifying, he remains focused. “Hopefully we need to get a few more points on the board, a few nightly wins and obviously like Jonny said, I’m chasing him now. I can definitely go chasing for that top spot again.”

Littler also discussed recent changes to his equipment. “I didn’t have much practice, only before Brighton. I was practising okay but it just didn’t happen on stage, I think I was all in my head. So I went back to the Gen 1s and obviously treble 25, treble 20.”

He plans to continue experimenting. “I’ll get some practice in here tonight with the prototypes, see how they go and then through the week towards Rotterdam I’ll be on the practice board.”

With a busy period ahead, Littler is keeping his focus simple. “We always prepare for what’s in front of us. Obviously I’m preparing for tonight to just have a bit of a laugh. You play a few fans and obviously try and leave the 170s, the 120s, three tops.”

Looking ahead, he added, “As soon as a tournament comes around then that’s when you focus. We focus on Rotterdam next week and the next week, but yeah, we’re not far away from those big ones.”

And when those moments arrive, Littler is confident he will deliver. "I’ll definitely come alive and hopefully I can come alive these next few weeks.”