VIDEO | Michael van Gerwen hit in the face during King’s Night, assailant apologizes: “That man had clearly had too much to drink”

Michael van Gerwen decided last Monday to skip the Players Championship double-header in Milton Keynes so he could celebrate King’s Night and King’s Day. Unfortunately for the Dutchman, that did not go entirely smoothly. Leaked footage online revealed that ‘Mighty Mike’ was involved in an altercation, in which an unknown man suddenly punched him in the face after a verbal exchange.

Exactly what was said back and forth is unknown, but you can see Van Gerwen getting into a discussion with the man in question. Security was already on hand at that point, but they could do nothing to prevent the man from suddenly swinging at the three-time world champion before walking away. He then leaves, after which Van Gerwen tries to go after him.

In a response to Sportnieuws.nl, Van Gerwen has now addressed the incident himself. “That man had clearly had too much to drink and, to me, his anger came out of nowhere. When he seemed to be heading for the exit, he suddenly lashed out. Me going after him is of course not right. But that was an automatic reaction of shock,” he explains.

The man in question has since apologized. “That man clearly knows he was in the wrong, because he apologized via Instagram.”

The Vlijmen native mainly regrets the way it surfaced. “It’s a shame that these images are released without any context. Beyond that, it was a calm and friendly evening in which nothing eventful happened. But well, it is what it is.”

It is not the first time the Dutchman has been involved in a skirmish. Last year he also drew attention when he was involved in a fight at a kebab shop in Brabant.

According to Van Gerwen, this was mainly an “unfortunate chain of events,” and he now wants to focus fully on darts. This evening, the Dutchman faces a crucial night in the Premier League Darts, opening against rival Luke Humphries.