The world association PDC has denied Gabriel Clemens’ permanent participation in the prestigious Darts Premier League.
“Clemens is not about to be nominated for the Premier League this week,” said managing director Matthew Porter in an interview with the TV channel “Sport1”.
Porter added that the eight starters for the next Premier League season will not be announced on the evening of the World Cup as usual, but only later in January.
The media had reported that Clemens was sure to be in the competition.
The first four professionals in the world rankings are seeded. In addition to the two London finalists Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands) and Michael Smith (England), there are also Welshman Gerwyn Price and Scotsman Peter Wright.
Historic success at the Darts World Cup
“We read that Clemens was promised a permanent place in the Premier League. That would be a big claim because nobody has a permanent place. Not even Phil Taylor had a permanent place,” added Porter.
In addition to Clemens, the contenders also include the Belgian Dimitri van den Bergh and the Englishmen Luke Humphries, Joe Cullen, Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross.
Clemens was the first German to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup and on the way there defeated the number one Price 5:1.