Gian van Veen admitted his next clash with Luke Littler may not be “very friendly” following their tense exchange during the Premier League Darts in Manchester on Thursday.
The Dutchman avenged his World Championship final defeat to Littler in the quarter-finals at the AO Arena, coming out on top in a last-leg decider.
Van Veen missed a match dart, which led to Littler celebrating in front of him home crowd, before the two-time world champion gestured at his opponent on his return to the oche and failed to wrap up the match himself.
His 23-year-old rival then sealed a 6-5 victory, but not before Littler produced a cry baby action and brief handshake as he walked off the stage.
Van Veen, who lost his fourth nightly final of the campaign to Josh Rock, said after his opening win that Littler was a “bad loser” and that his conduct on the oche was “out of order”.
On Thursday evening, 19-year-old Littler shared an image of Van Veen’s comments on his Instagram Stories, adding three laughing emojis below.
Speaking to Swedish streaming service Viaplay about the incident, Van Veen said: “No, we haven’t spoken.
“He hasn’t approached me either. I saw his reaction on social media. He thought it was funny.
“Well, I don’t think things will be very friendly between us anytime soon.
“I’m here for myself. He’s a fantastic darter, the world number one, so what he does for the sport is great, but I care little about what he thinks of me.”
The pair will not face each other in the European Tour event held in Munich this weekend as Littler has not entered.
World number three Van Veen returns to action during Sunday’s second round against either William O’Connor or Sebastian Bialecki.
