Darts star slams his ‘scandalous’ and ‘s*** Premier League snub after being overlooked despite winning his first major TV title
Darts star Mike De Decker has lashed out at his shock Premier League snub, labelling the decision to overlook him as ‘scandalous’ and ‘s***’.
De Decker, the reigning Grand Prix champion, missed the cut for the prestigious eight-man tournament this year despite winning his first major TV title in 2024.
The 29-year-old climbed the world rankings to No 24 after a mixed year on the circuit, having also been eliminated in the early rounds at the World Championship, European Championship and the Grand Slam of Darts.
But he became the first player in the 20-year history of the Premier League to miss out despite winning a major televised on Sky Sports.
De Decker, nicknamed ‘The Real Deal’, reacted furiously to the omission and claimed the rivals selected ahead of him ‘did not deserve it’.
‘I find their decision a bit scandalous, to be honest,’ he told Het Nieuwsblad.
Darts star Mike De Decker has reacted furiously to his surprise Premier League snub
De Decker won the Grand Prix but missed the cut for the prestigious eight-man tournament
Luke Littler will look to defend his crown when the competition begins in Belfast next month
PDC chief executive Matt Porter declared De Decker ‘wasn’t quite ready’ for the Premier League, a verdict the Belgian vehemently disagrees with.
‘I didn’t think that explanation was fair,’ added De Decker. ‘After my Grand Prix victory, I said that I might not be ready and I don’t regret that. But afterwards I confirmed at other tournaments that I can compete with the world’s best.
‘Only at the World Championships it didn’t work out. S*** and a shame that it happened then, but still. I do feel ready.’
Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price were both controversially chosen ahead of De Decker, a decision met with a backlash on social media.
‘They did not deserve it,’ De Decker said, taking aim at both players. ‘Suddenly they reach a quarter-final at the World Championships and they are there.
‘Aspinall is there with his walk-on purely for the entertainment and if Price performs badly in the first few weeks, he will start complaining again. They say that you get into the Premier League based on results, but apparently that is not the case.’
Explaining De Decker’s absence, Porter added: ‘We’ve seen players in the past, I don’t want to embarrass them by naming them, but players like Danny Noppert, Ross Smith and Andrew Gilding that have won TV tournaments.
‘But you have to show that you can compete in the latter stages of TV tournaments on a regular basis.
Nathan Aspinall was given the nod after reaching the World Championship quarter-finals
Gerwyn Price was another controversial pick despite his mixed year on the circuit
World No 1 Luke Humphries will headline the Premier League action alongside Littler
‘Doing it once is fantastic and is something that you will always have but to really be part of the elite, you have to be doing it on a regular basis over multiple years.’
Reigning Premier League champion Luke Littler, still revelling in his stunning World Championship triumph at Alexandra Palace earlier this month, has been joined by World No 1 Luke Humphries in the popular competition.
Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross, Price, Stephen Bunting, Aspinall and Chris Dobey make up the rest of the line-up, with the showpiece starting in Belfast on February 6.
