“Someone should just take his phone away for a bit—it’s not that complicated” – Criticism of Luke Littler’s management and conduct after incident with Gian van Veen

The fallout from the much-discussed incident between Luke Littler and Gian van Veen continues to grip the darts world. Not the winner of the night, but the altercation between the two dominated the conversation. Former pro Vincent van der Voort takes a sharp look at the situation and mainly sees how one moment has been completely blown up.

“The whole evening ended up being about that incident. Normally it’s about the winner,” says Van der Voort on the Darts Draait Door podcast. “But who even won? I think Gerwyn Price played brilliantly, but nobody talked about it afterwards.”

According to Van der Voort, that says everything about how big the incident was made. “It was the main topic everywhere—press conferences, newspapers in England, Dutch media, social media. Everything was about that moment.”

“But sport isn’t just about winning—it’s also about rivalry," Van der Voort continued. "Something has to happen sometimes. I actually think the PDC was quite happy with it.”

The incident itself arose in the decisive phase of the match. Van Veen had the chance to seal the contest but missed at a crucial moment, after which Littler made his presence felt towards the crowd.

Van der Voort sketches the moment in detail: "It was 5–5. Van Veen misses 134 on double 7—just one dart. Then Littler steps up for 90 to win the match. He hits triple 20, then goes inside on 15, so he leaves double 15 but hits single 15. Normally you’d be annoyed and reset. But Van Veen turns away, and at that moment he sees Littler gesture to the crowd like, 'I’m getting another chance.'"

That gesture did not go without consequences. “Then Littler reacts too aggressively afterwards—that’s where he goes wrong. He makes it bigger than it needed to be,” analyses Van der Voort. “After the match, he gives a kind of 'Kevin handshake'—you know, one of those quick handshakes without looking at the other person.”

While the incident on stage remained relatively contained, Van der Voort believes it was truly blown up in the aftermath. In particular, Littler’s behaviour on social media went down badly.

“If Littler had just said afterwards, 'That wasn’t smart,' it would’ve been nothing,” says Van der Voort. “But then he continues on social media, showing off what he’s won… but yeah, he’s still a kid.”

According to the former darter, that points to a broader issue. “It suggests he might not have the right people around him to tell him, 'Don’t do that.' That’s the real issue. Someone should just take his phone away for a bit—it’s not that complicated.”

On the other hand, Van der Voort saw a mature response from Van Veen, who stayed calm in interviews and articulated his position clearly. “Some people aren’t natural 'characters,' but they grow into it over time in their careers. Moments like this help with that,” he says. “You shouldn’t let people walk all over you—you should say something if you don’t agree.”

Still, Van der Voort does not expect the incident to rumble on for long. “In the end, this will all be resolved quickly. It’s really nothing major.”

Although the situation may be unpleasant for the players involved, Van der Voort also sees the positive side of such confrontations. He believes tension and rivalry are part of elite sport.

“Exactly—that’s what you want. A bit more edge, some verbal back-and-forth. That’s what sport is about.” He draws a comparison with football: “Why is Rangers vs Celtic so great? Not because they like each other. Same with Ajax vs Feyenoord—it’s about tension. That’s what makes it interesting.”

The crux of the matter, according to Van der Voort, ultimately lies with Littler’s development. The 19-year-old Englishman is still young but is operating at the highest level. “He’s still only 19 years old. But he’s competing at the top level now, among adults. So he’ll be judged like one,” Van der Voort emphasises. “If you’re winning everything, you start to feel like you can do anything. That’s normal. You don’t notice the pressure or the crowd. But when results drop, it becomes a different story."

That’s where he sees the biggest risk. “Look at Gerwyn Price—he knows what it’s like when the crowd turns against you every week. It can really affect you.” Despite all the commotion, Van der Voort expects calm to return quickly. He doesn’t think a reconciliation talk is necessary. “No way,” he says firmly. “You’re not in a talking group, are you? It’ll fizzle out on its own.”