Fans at the Darts World Cup: “Anyone who disrupts the game doesn’t belong in the hall”

The sport of darts, once known for its fair fans, has long since lost its innocence. Whistles, boos, national chants – all of this is now part of the daily routine. For years, masses of German fans who have gathered in the World Cup temple have also made a significant contribution to this.Ally Pally“not always just noticeable in a pleasant way.

Every year again: Germany gets seasonal darts fever. The symptoms: not always nice. Two games with German participation have recently stuck in the collective darts memory: Gabriel Clemens’ headphone game against Gerwyn Price at the 2023 World Cup. And the game by Ricardo Pietreczko, known as “Pikachu”, against the eventual world champion Luke Humphries the 2024 World Cup.

Germany, I don’t hear anything

In Pietreczko’s third round match on December 28, 2023, the Berliner, who was still completely unknown internationally at the time, was suddenly 3-1 sets ahead and only needed one more set to create a sensation. German fans repeatedly deliberately disturbed Humphries by whistling and heckling during his throws, so that the top English favorite became more and more irritable. When he finally turned the match around to win 4-3, Humphries, who was otherwise so calm and gentle, really let off steam. He literally puffed himself up in front of the German disruptive block, clenched his fists and held his hands behind his ears: “Why can’t I hear anything anymore?!”

When asked about these unforgettable scenes, Pietreczko realizes that, even a year later, it still makes him uncomfortable. “This whistling and stuff like that – nobody likes that“, Pietreczko told Sportschau, “They always say that you have to be professional enough to block it all out. At some point you won’t hear the booing and the background noise anymore. But when a shrill whistle like that comes along, you’re completely thrown out of concentration.”

Expulsion from the hall

Pietreczko tried to stop the gross unsportsmanlike behavior of his compatriots during the match, made calming gestures and repeatedly shook his head. Ultimately at the expense of concentration and your own focus.

His stance on this today is crystal clear: “It is of course difficult to filter out who it is from these crowds. But I say: Anyone who disrupts the game should no longer be part of the event.” Expulsion from the hall by the law enforcement officers in the “Ally Pally” – that’s exactly what the organizing PDC wants to enforce even more consistently this year.

Price with soundproof headphones

Gerwyn Price would have wished for something like this more often. The Welshman has a very ambivalent relationship with the party society on the squares, whether German or English. Price is regularly the bogeyman and rarely manages not to let it show.

His legendary headphone game against Gabriel Clemens will never be forgotten. Price felt so cornered by the audience that he even talked about not wanting to compete at the World Cup in the future. He literally referred to the fans as “a single catastrophe”.

Price was so freaked out by the spectators on New Year’s Day 2023 that he had no choice but to return to the stage with headphones on when he was 1:3 down in the set. This seemed ridiculous and helpless to many, but it was within the rules, and Price later justified himself: “I had to try everything that could have brought me victory.”

Clemens prefers to ignore it

But he couldn’t do that anymore. Clemens moved into the semi-finals with a sensational 5-1 triumph and now says to the sports show: “I never spoke to Gerwyn about this match again after that, I don’t think he had any need.”

He tries to largely ignore the fan issue; unlike Pietreczko, he is not the type to take sides with his opponent on stage. Clemens remembers: “The hall was pretty German at this game, but I can’t really hear the chants. Of course you can tell that it’s getting loud, but I can’t really hear what exactly is being sung there.”

Isn’t it unfair to pretend it’s nothing? No. Clemens just does everything he can to avoid being distracted. He says: “I try not to let it get to me at all, I just want to play my game consistently. In the end, I can’t influence it anyway.” But what is important to him: “I would never try to heat up the crowd like some players have done. I just let them do it down there and I do my thing.”

Van Gerwen also has praise

A player that the Germans predominantly celebrate on stage, even when he competes against Germans, is the three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman has already emphasized in many statements how important respect is to him. Most recently he said after a tournament in Leverkusen: ”The people are really polite and respectful. I think darts needs that too. There are too many problems in the world, so let’s all have fun.”