Darts sensation Luke Littler, 18, has spoken out after an incident during his visit to Prague left him facing accusations of “bad behaviour.”
The teenager, who is in the Czech capital to compete in the £30,000 Czech Darts Open, was preparing to face Cameron Menzies in his opening match.
Excited Fans Lead to Tense Encounter
Littler arrived at his hotel late on Friday night, where a crowd of enthusiastic supporters quickly gathered, hoping to snap pictures with the rising star.
What started as a friendly reception quickly escalated, however, when an individual grabbed Littler from behind, sparking a confrontation.
Sharing his side of the story on Instagram, Littler said: “Just came to the hotel in Prague, got a few pictures—bearing in mind it’s 20 past 11 and busy—but as I went to walk off, someone grabbed me and wanted a picture.
You don’t grab someone; just ask nicely. How hard is it?”
He added directly addressing the critic: “For the guy who came up to me and my dad, shouting ‘hey’ and then saying my behavior was bad—DON’T GRAB ME FROM BEHIND.
That’s bad behavior, not mine. I told him not to touch me and walked away.”
Past Challenges on European Tours
This isn’t Littler’s first run-in with hostile crowds.
He has previously faced jeers on his European outings, particularly in Berlin and Munich, and even considered boycotting German events due to the negative receptions.
Despite this, he’s still expected to compete at the German Darts Championship in Hildesheim next month.
Reflecting on his experience, Littler told Sky Sports: “I had a little head loss moment, I don’t get it and can’t explain it.
Obviously, you do your walk-on, but as soon as I got on stage, I started getting booed.
I got booed in Hildesheim last year too—I was playing really well and they started booing, and I lost. I guess the Germans mustn’t like us English.”
Eyes on the Prize
Despite these challenges, Littler has been in sensational form.
After a string of impressive wins, including back-to-back victories at the World Matchplay, Australian Darts Masters, New Zealand Darts Masters, and the Flanders Darts Trophy last week, he will be aiming to claim the Czech Darts Open title.
The young star’s focus now is firmly on the tournament, determined to let his darts do the talking rather than the drama outside the oche.