Darts legend Dennis Priestley says Luke Littler should be fined and that a major storm is brewing between the kid and Michael van Gerwen
The Dutchman was fuming at The Nuke’s late arrival for the Premier League press launch and told him he’s not a baby anymore. Littler admits he overslept and laughed it off, but Priestly, a former PDC World Champion, says there has to be punishment. He stated: “Luke Littler should’ve been fined for turning up late and that would be the right thing to do, it’s a learning experience for him, the fine should be automatic.
“If you are late to your own event, that is one thing. But when there are seven other players as well as staff and media there that have all made the effort, it isn’t good enough no matter what your age is. Michael van Gerwen is right to complain, I just hope he took Littler to one side and did things properly and calmly as well as speaking to the media.
“The Premier League is a team game in the sense that you are all together for so long and you need to stick together, if it was someone like Gerwyn Price, you think he may have been given a fine and it should be no different for Littler.”
Speaking to olbg.com, he continued: “It seems as though there is a storm brewing between Michael van Gerwen and Luke LIttler, it has probably dawned on Van Gerwen that he was the big star in darts for so long and now all the limelight has been taken away and he isn’t the centre of attention any more.
“Van Gerwen spoke out about Littler being late and I think that’s fair, it’s also because all the attention is on Littler now after Van Gerwen spent so long being the main man.
“All the eyes and talk is about Littler now and Van Gerwen didn’t mind that when it was all about him, now that has changed and there could be some good battles between them going forward.
“Van Gerwen might have that fear that he won’t become world champion again given the talent he is up against and that will hurt when he dominated for so long.”