Darts world champion Luke Littler reacted emotionally to unexpected boos from fans at the World Cup in London and addressed the audience directly. “It doesn’t bother me,” Littler claimed in an on-stage interview on Sky Sports, noting with a laugh: “You pay for tickets and you pay my prize money. Thank you for booing me.”
The 18-year-old Englishman had to endure his most difficult game to date in these title fights. In the 4-2 round of 16 against former world champion Rob Cross, Littler almost had to go into a decisive seventh set. During the encounter, the young Englishman repeatedly interacted with the audience, which largely consisted of German fans. After the match dart was converted, Littler celebrated in a way that had rarely been seen before.
“It was hostile, nobody wanted me to win. They were wrong,” said Littler, who is the clear tournament favorite and had won all his games without losing a set before the 4-2 win against Cross. After an initial brief outburst, Littler calmed down and appeared more moderate in subsequent TV interviews and at the press conference.
“It was the first time at the World Cup that the fans didn’t want to see me win. But all right. I’ll prepare for the worst in the quarter-finals,” said Littler, referring to the upcoming game on New Year’s Day. He added to Sport1: “They whistled and booed. I just had to keep going and try to get over it.”
