A growing storm in the world of professional darts has seen thousands of supporters rally behind Dutch star Gian van Veen, after he launched an explosive #BANLITTLER petition following last night’s fiery PDC World Championship clash.
The petition, which surfaced on Change.org just hours after Van Veen’s narrow defeat to 17-year-old sensation Luke Littler, has already amassed over 45,000 signatures. It accuses the teenage prodigy of “bringing the game into disrepute” through persistent on-stage gamesmanship, audible verbal outbursts when missing doubles, and an alleged refusal to concede close shots.
Van Veen, visibly agitated in his post-match interview, stopped short of naming Littler directly before later tweeting the petition link. “Darts is built on respect. What we saw tonight was not sport. It was a circus. Enough is enough,” the 22-year-old said.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show Littler shrugging after Van Veen bust a 161 checkout, followed by a muttered comment picked up by a courtside microphone. While Littler’s camp has dismissed the clip as “selective editing,” the hashtag #BANLITTLER quickly trended worldwide.
Fans have flooded darts forums, with some calling for a formal PDC conduct review. “He’s phenomenally talented, but his attitude stinks,” wrote one petition signatory. Others, however, have dismissed the campaign as sour grapes, pointing to Littler’s record-breaking 18 180s in the match.
The PDC has yet to issue an official response, though a spokesperson told The Oche: “All players are expected to uphold the highest standards of behaviour. We are aware of the petition and will monitor any formal complaints.”
As the darts world braces for what could be the most divisive controversy since the 1994 split with the BDO, Van Veen has doubled down, promising to escalate the petition to the Darts Regulation Authority if it reaches 100,000 signatures.
Littler is scheduled to face Michael van Gerwen in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Security sources confirm extra stewards have been assigned to the arena.
