Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Luke Littler Threatens Netherlands Darts Boycott After Amsterdam Booing And Whistling
Luke Littler threatened to boycott Netherlands darts events after boos in Amsterdam. Crowd hostility escalated to referee intervention during his last-16 win over Aspinall.
How much to foreground the boycott threat.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: referee stopped the match to warn Littler’s hostile crowd.
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Same story, two versions
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BBC
“World champion Luke Littler has threatened to stop playing in the Netherlands after being booed and whistled”Read the original ↗
Radio Times
“World Series Darts Finals on TV 2026: Watch free, schedule and live stream”Read the original ↗
BBC foregrounds Littler’s threatened Netherlands boycott after boos. Radio Times leads with TV schedules, not the feud.
Littler weighs Dutch boycott
Luke Littler threatened to stop playing in the Netherlands after being booed and whistled at during the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, with the referee stopping the match during his narrow win against Nathan Aspinall before play resumed.
“stop playing in the Netherlands after being booed and whistled”
Littler’s stance followed him being booed during his win against home favourite Danny Noppert on Friday, and he said he was “100%” prepared to take a similar stance for Dutch events.
In the Amsterdam match, Littler won the last two legs to prevail 10-9 over Aspinall, after referee Charlie Costorphine had to intervene in the last-16 win over Aspinall.
Littler is expected to play at the European Championship in Dortmund in October, as he said: “With the Germans, I haven't been for a long time, we will have to see in Dortmund whether it changes or stays the same.”
Crowd hostility and quotes
The BBC described how Littler tapped his ears in response to boos during his Friday win over Danny Noppert, and it said he later let out a passionate roar towards the crowd after a 95 checkout.B
After the Aspinall match, Littler told Online Darts that “There's just no point in me travelling, wasting my time whilst I'm getting booed,” and he added that he had “walked off stage” without thanking anyone.
Sky Sports reported that the hostile environment escalated on Saturday night as referee Charlie Costorphine had to intervene in the last-16 win over Aspinall, and it said Littler was “100 per cent” prepared to do the same in the Netherlands.
Littler also said he was “not bothered [by the booing]. Really not bothered,” after being booed during a win over Rob Cross at the PDC World Championship in December.
What it means for the tournament
As the World Series of Darts Finals continued in Amsterdam, Sky Sports said Littler moved a step closer to becoming the first man to win all 10 major televised tournaments in a calendar year, having triumphed in the first five.
“Littler will face Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals”
Sky Sports set out that the quarter-finals would begin from 12pm on Sunday, with Littler facing Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals after Clayton battled past Motomu Sakai 10-8 to set up the showdown.
talkSPORT said Littler beat Nathan Aspinall in a 10-9 thriller to book his place in the World Series of Darts last-eight on Saturday, and it noted he hit a 12-darter in the final leg.
The Irish Independent framed the stakes for Littler’s clean sweep run in Amsterdam, quoting him saying: “Yeah, it’d be gutting, but I’ve got all the attributes to go on and win the title again.”