Morgan Burtwistle, better known as Angry Ginge and winner of I'm a Celebrity, has come to the defence of his close friend Luke Littler following a heated exchange with Gian van Veen during the Premier League darts.
The 19-year-old sensation found himself at the centre of controversy after his quarter-final clash with the Dutch player on Thursday in Manchester.
Van Veen emerged victorious with a 6-5 scoreline in what proved to be a tense encounter between the two competitors.
The incident sparked widespread debate across the darts community, with numerous prominent figures offering their views on Littler's conduct during the match.
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The flashpoint occurred when Van Veen failed to land double 15, which would have sealed the match in his favour.
Littler responded by celebrating the miss and motioning for his opponent to finish his remaining throws.
Despite this setback, the 23-year-old Dutchman recovered to progress to the evening's final, ultimately falling 6-2 to Gerwyn Price.
Morgan Burtwistle, better known as Angry Ginge and winner of I'm a Celebrity, has come to the defence of his close friend Luke Littler following a heated exchange with Gian van Veen during the Premier League dart
|PA
Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Van Veen described Littler's behaviour as "out of order" and admitted he was "fuming" about the incident.
"He missed and then I took it out and he's probably fuming," Van Veen said. "That is darts and that is my perspective. His perspective is probably different, but that is it."
Taking to his YouTube channel, Angry Ginge dismissed the criticism levelled at the teenage star.
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Five things to know about Luke Littler | PA"Lost his head? Oh well, f***ing hell," the content creator remarked.
"Brother's 19 and playing in front of millions, playing darts one of the biggest athletes in the world, especially in England. Believe it or not, he will lose his head at points."
Burtwistle showed little concern about the fallout from the match, expressing confidence in his friend's ability to bounce back.
"Bro, he lost, unlucky. The guy is f***ing chilling. I'm sure he'll be fine. He'll win the Premier League," he predicted, backing Littler to claim the title despite the setback.
Littler has remained silent on the controversy, though he did share a graphic containing Van Veen's comments on Instagram, overlaying it with multiple laughing emojis.
Gian van Veen launched a scathing attack on Luke Littler following their explosive Premier League bust-up
| PADespite the on-court tension, Van Veen was complimentary about his young rival's impact on the sport.
"I love Luke to bits," he stated.
"He's a fantastic player and a great asset to the sport, and to see all the attention he's brought to it is phenomenal. But this is also part of it as well, and today was my day."
Littler will return to the oche on Thursday when Premier League night 10 heads to Brighton, where he takes on Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals whilst looking to maintain his position atop the standings.