At the end of 2012, Klaasen was sentenced to sixteen hours of community service for sending nude photos to an underage girl and also had to pay compensation of 400 euros. The then 28-year-old darter accepted that punishment and also apologized in a statement. The girl involved turned out to be the underage sister of Daphne, Van Gerwen’s wife.
“It is an issue from a long time ago, but it will never get better,” Van Gerwen had said before their 2018 World Cup match. “He paid for it and it’s all over. But this is very difficult to place. We were the best of friends and very close to each other. Now we have a past that means I don’t like him to the bone.”
So on Saturday the two faced each other again and Klaasen immediately took the lead with a finish of 170.
However, Van Gerwen was unstoppable after that and, with an average of almost 105 points, eventually won easily 6-2. But a look at Klaasen, let alone a handshake, was impossible with ‘Mighty Mike’. He then took his daughter to the podium while Klaasen dropped off in Zwolle.