Luke Littler has been branded “childish” by fellow darts professional Damian Vlottes after the teenager’s threat to boycott events in Germany. The reigning world champion posted to Instagram that he intends to skip several competitions in the country after being whistled and booed at the German Darts Grand Prix.
The crowd inside the Kulturehalle Zenith booed Littler during his quarter-final win over Joe Cullen, then cheered for the teenager’s opponent Gian van Veen as the Dutchman completed a stunning 7-4 comeback. Posting a photo of the back of his car, Littler captioned his post: “Shouldn’t have been in Munich but had to play anyway. Next one in Germany for me is Dortmund and I am glad to say that.”
If Littler stays true to his word he would miss the European Grand Prix, Baltic Sea Open, World Cup of Darts and several Players Championship events.
And Vlottes warned Littler, who has never won a tournament in Germany, that his comments would have “stunned” the Professional Darts Corporation. He claims that the sport’s bigwigs will want to hold talks about the matter.
“It’s a bit childish to react like that, especially when you’re already a major champion at just 18,” he said on the Darts Draait Door podcast. “He doesn’t handle defeat very well, does he?
“I’m sure the PDC will want a word with him – they must have been stunned. If you get an England vs Germany match [at the World Cup], I can guarantee there’ll be some booing.”
Vlottes’ co-host, Vincent Van der Voort, was more sympathetic to Littler and responded: “You have to remember, he’s still only eighteen. He’s not used to losing yet.
“Honestly, no dart player handles losing well. I don’t even think Steve Beaton likes losing. He just hides it better than most. Littler struggled with that.
“He needs some coaching and guidance to help him manage those emotions better. Firing off a post like that on social media isn’t wise. In effect, he’s saying he won’t play anything until the European Championship, so that would include skipping the World Cup.”
Littler returns to action this week in the Premier League, where the circuit travels to Birmingham on Night 13. He faces Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals.
The 18-year-old is searching for his fifth nightly win and stands four points clear at the top of the table, but has had a dip in form recently.
Littler was whistled once again in Liverpool last time out as he suffered an agonising defeat to Michael van Gerwen, blowing a 4-0 lead and looked emotional as he walked off the oche with a 6-5 loss.
