Van Gerwen's criticism of German darters not warmly received: ''It wasn’t the nicest thing he could have said''
PDC
Florian Hempel is one of the standout names in the German darts scene at the moment. The Cologne-based player is experiencing his best season start ever and has recently become the co-host of Elmar Paulke's podcast "Game On." In this podcast, he shares his experiences on the PDC Tour and recently responded to Michael van Gerwen's criticism of German darts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hempel has made a solid start to his fifth season as a professional. During the podcast, Paulke asked him about his opinion on Van Gerwen's statements. The three-time world champion stated that Germany urgently needs "real top players" and that this is currently lacking.
Read also
Hempel largely agreed with Van Gerwen: "He's not entirely wrong. We've been on the Tour for a while now, and while the breadth of German darts is growing, we still lack a real top player." So far, Hempel is still waiting for a second German winner of a Players Championship title. Max Hopp remains the only German to have won such a tournament, which he did in 2018.
Although there have been some successes, such as Gabriel Clemens' semi-finals at the World Championship and the Players Championship Finals, and Martin Schindler's two European Tour titles, Germany is still missing a true breakthrough in the form of a Major victory or a Major final appearance.
Despite the lack of a true breakthrough, Hempel sees a lot of potential: "Germany is absolutely a darts nation. The European Tour events are always sold out, and dart merchandise sales in Germany are massive. We have the financial power and the fans, but we need a major title to keep growing."
According to Hempel, competition worldwide is getting younger and better. Whether it is Clemens, Schindler, himself, or Ricardo Pietreczko who takes the next step, he does not mind. "Although I naturally hope it will be me," he laughs. "But I’d also be happy for any other German to succeed."
Van Gerwen specifically mentioned German number two Ricardo Pietreczko in his criticism: "Ricardo is not that good. He’s nice, but he doesn’t hurt anyone on the board."
ADVERTISEMENT
Hempel found the remark rather harsh: "It wasn’t the nicest thing he could have said about Ricardo." However, he believes that Pietreczko can bounce back. "If he regains his focus like he did at the end of 2023, when he won a European Tour title, he will play at a high level again. He has his own style, both on and off the board, and he needs to find his own way."
According to Hempel, Pietreczko's small dip in form was simply due to him processing his first major successes. "He's gaining that experience now, and it will do him good in the long run."
I stumbled into the world of darts quite by accident back in 2013. For a Journalism School assignment, I had to produce a live sports report and as it happened, the European Tour event in Veldhoven was the only available option. That weekend, I caught the darts bug. The post-match interviews especially appealed to me, as darts players tend to be much more open and approachable than what you usually see with footballers on television.
After a few detours, I joined Dartsnieuws.com in 2017 as editor-in-chief. I don’t have much competitive experience myself, although I once entered a PDC Development Tour weekend just to experience what it’s like from a player’s perspective. I even managed to win a leg against a Tour Card holder and, quite by accident, earned £50 in prize money.
In 2022, I was also involved in the founding of the TOTO Dart Kings, a commercial darts team, where I worked as media manager for three years. Unfortunately, due to new legislation in the Netherlands, that project came to an end in 2025.
Through my work in darts, I’ve been fortunate to travel to some incredible events, from Premier League nights at Ahoy Rotterdam, to several World Championships, and even the US Darts Masters at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Beyond darts, I’m a passionate sports fan in general. You can always wake me up for a game of tennis or padel, and I love following football, tennis, padel, cycling, Formula 1, and ice skating.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026