BERLIN – In a shocking and emotional scene at the German Darts Championship, home favorite Martin Schindler turned on the very crowd he was meant to entertain, screaming “Boo me all you want!” after a barrage of jeers and whistles from a toxic hometown audience.
The incident occurred during the tournament’s second-round match on Saturday night. Schindler, ranked inside the world’s top 20 and affectionately known as “The Wall,” entered the arena to a hero’s welcome. However, midway through the contest against England’s Ross Smith, the atmosphere soured dramatically.
Frustration boiled over after Smith landed a spectacular 170 checkout to break Schindler’s throw. A section of the 4,000-strong crowd, impatient with the German’s slightly slower pace and a handful of missed doubles, began to turn hostile. Initially, the boos were aimed at Smith, but they quickly shifted toward Schindler when he reacted angrily to movement in the stands.
After losing the fourth leg, Schindler retrieved his darts and instead of walking to the oche, he turned to face the VIP section and the main stand. Visibly shaking with adrenaline, he spread his arms wide.
“Boo me all you want! I don’t care!” he roared, gesturing wildly at the jeering fans. “You think this helps? Shut your mouths!”
The outburst stunned the crowd into a brief, eerie silence before a mixture of supportive applause and even louder boos erupted. The PDC referee had to step forward to restore order.
Schindler, usually a composed and fan-friendly competitor, visibly struggled to regain his focus for the remainder of the match. He missed three darts at double 16 to stay in the contest, eventually losing 6-3. He grabbed his gear and walked straight off the stage without acknowledging the audience, shaking his head in disgust.
In a tense post-match press conference, Schindler did not apologize for the snap.
“I am human, not a machine,” he said, still breathing heavily. “I came here to win for Germany, for this city. But my own people booing me? Throwing my concentration away because they want 180s every single throw? It is disgraceful.
“I love the German fans, but tonight that was not support. That was poison. So honestly? Boo me all you want. I will keep playing my game. If they don’t like it, they can watch the Premier League on television.”
Social media exploded within minutes of the incident. Former world champion John Part commented on the broadcast: “I’ve been booed in the UK, booed in the Netherlands, but I’ve never seen a home crowd fully turn on their own player like that mid-match. That’s a scar that will take a while to heal.”
Opponent Ross Smith, who advanced to the quarter-finals, offered a sympathetic take. “It was ugly out there. I actually felt for him,” Smith said. “No crowd should make their own player feel like the enemy. Marty is a class act. That was just a meltdown waiting to happen.”
The PDC has yet to announce whether Schindler will face any disciplinary action for his verbal outburst, though officials confirmed they will review the “overall conduct of the audience” during the match.
For now, one of German darts’ brightest stars finds himself at war with the very fans he once called the best in the world.
