Legendary referee Russ Bray has called on fans to root out “idiot” darts whistlers.
Night two of the Premier League in Glasgow was marred by whistlers who targeted former world champions Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries. The latter was visibly angry during the final against Luke Littler, with referee Kirk Bevins shouting “stop whistling” at one point.
That triggered more whistles from fans, with Littler saying post-match that the official’s plea only “made it worse”. Bevins has previously been criticised for not doing more to combat whistling, with officials in a no-win situation.
Bray, the iconic caller who stepped down from frontline officiating after the 2024 World Championship final, says genuine darts fans need to do their bit to stop the problem. Speaking ahead of the 2025 World Championship, he said: “The worst thing you can say as a referee is, ‘ladies and gentleman, please don’t whistle’, because all the idiots will start whistling. That’s the mentality of them.
“All you can say is say, ‘ladies and gentlemen, please give the best of order’. Then it’s up to the security to do something about it, to get those idiots out. We don’t need them in there, it drives you nuts. It’s a thorn in the side of the game, for sure.
“How you police it, it’s very difficult. It’s hard to pinpoint one person when you’ve got thousands of people in the audience. It really needs the people in the audience to point them out.
“If an idiot next to me was whistling, I’d turn round and have a go at him. You’re there to enjoy the game, not have some clown spoil it.”
Bray, 67, now a PDC ambassador, says it’s grossly unfair on players who are playing for such high stakes. He added: “It’s their work. If someone was laying bricks, you wouldn’t go down there and play with his cement to put him off.
“I absolutely detest whistlers. The minute someone whistles, they should be thrown out. Get rid of them, you don’t need idiots like that.”
There has been plenty of condemnation for the Glasgow whistlers, with Sky Sports reporter Abigail Davies blasting on X: “Yet again, well done to those who paid good money to go and watch the best darts players in the world put on a show and actively contributed to them not delivering their absolute best by whistling. Really clever, that. There is no way you can be a fan of the sport if you do that.”