"Instead of giving him a lift and backing him... No, they just tore him down" – De Decker hits out at Belgian fans after Van den Bergh’s slump
PDCThursday, 27 August 2026 at 09:10
Belgian darts is going through a rough spell. Where Belgium could count on two players at the very top a few years ago, the situations of Dimitri Van den Bergh and Mike De Decker have changed markedly. Van den Bergh has stepped away from the sport for now and is facing heavy criticism on social media. His close friend De Decker strongly defends him on the podcast Darts Draait Door.
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According to the 30-year-old De Decker, the flak Van den Bergh is taking is wildly out of proportion. He cannot understand why his compatriot, for years one of Belgian darts’ key figureheads, is being hammered now that results have dipped.
“What Dimitri is getting on social media is beyond belief. It makes no sense at all,” says De Decker. “He carried the flag for Belgian darts. Especially over the last five years, since he won the World Matchplay in 2020.”
That Blackpool triumph is still the high point of Van den Bergh’s career. ‘The Dreammaker’ beat Gary Anderson in the final and claimed his first major PDC title. For years he looked set to be a fixture at the top of the sport. The recent spell, however, has been particularly difficult.
De Decker is also navigating a turbulent period. The two Belgians both reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix in 2024 and seemed on their way back to the elite. Since then much has changed. While De Decker has kept playing and is slowly trying to regain his touch, Van den Bergh has chosen to step away from darts for the time being.
Less contact due to distance
De Decker and Van den Bergh have been close friends for years, but they speak less often now. De Decker says that is not only down to Van den Bergh’s difficult spell. Both players have moved and now live farther apart.
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“I don’t hear that much from him anymore. I also try not to keep asking,” says De Decker. “We used to talk far more often, but since we both moved, it just doesn’t work. It’s simply too far.”
They still try to meet up now and then. Around the World Cup of Darts, Van den Bergh visited De Decker for a day to practice together. For now, there is little more contact than that.
De Decker is also keen not to apply pressure. He believes Van den Bergh should decide when he wants to talk about his issues. “I don’t want to keep bringing it up with him,” he says. “Dimitri knows that if he wants to say something, to get something off his chest or whatever, he can reach me. I don’t think I’m the person who should keep asking how he is and how it’s going.”
Tough World Cup of Darts
The difficulties were laid bare at the World Cup of Darts, De Decker says. The Belgians teamed up again and shared the responsibility of taking Belgium deep. For De Decker, focusing solely on his own game proved hard.
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“I just tried to do my own thing and perform as well as possible. And hope I could pull Dimitri along. Yeah, that was very tough,” he reflects.
Van den Bergh’s mental state made it even more complicated, De Decker explains. “If you’re the second player and you have to be there every time while you feel you’re not in a good place… You’re just hoping your dart finds the treble.”
Belgian public opinion only made it heavier, according to De Decker. For months before the World Cup, the tournament dominated talk in Belgium. That, he says, cranked up the pressure on Van den Bergh.
“Great for Dimi,” De Decker says sarcastically. “He had to play, but the whole of Belgium was already tearing him down because it wasn’t clicking. Instead of giving him a lift and backing him… No, they just tore him down.”
Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh reached the last 16 of the World Cup of Darts 2026
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“What do they expect now?”
De Decker says it is impossible to perform when a player is already wrestling with himself and constantly feels that the whole country is judging him. “What do they still expect from the lad when he has to throw?!” he asks aloud.
His comments make clear he mainly wants Van den Bergh to get the space to find himself again. He stresses that ‘The Dreammaker’ played a key role in Belgian darts for years and that one difficult spell does not change that.
Van den Bergh’s future remains uncertain. When and how he will return to the PDC circuit is unclear. De Decker, in any case, will not keep pushing him to come back. He prefers to be there as a friend whenever Van den Bergh needs it.
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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