Darts sensation Luke Littler has claimed that German crowds boo him simply because of his English nationality.
The teenage world champion faced hostile reception during last week's Premier League event in Berlin.
Littler also recalled similar treatment during a European Tour event in Hildesheim.
The young star opened up about his experiences with rowdy German fans in a recent interview with Oche180, suggesting a pattern of anti-English sentiment at darts competitions on German soil.
Luke Littler was not happy with the Berlin crowdSky Sports"I had a little headloss moment, as some of us players do," Littler explained about the Berlin incident.
"I just don't get it and I can't explain it."
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The young Englishman described how the hostile reception began immediately upon his appearance.
"Obviously you do your walk-on but then as soon as I got on stage I started getting booed," he said.
The revelation highlights the challenges our British sporting stars face when competing abroad.
Littler went on to detail a previous negative experience in Germany that affected his performance.
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"I got booed in Hildesheim last year against Peter Wright on the European Tour," he revealed.
The talented Englishman explained how the hostile crowd disrupted his momentum.
"I was flying and then they started booing me and I lost," Littler said.
The crowd's animosity persisted regardless of his performance.
Luke Littler had a tough night in Berlin after crashing out to Chris DobeyReuters"Even when I went one-nil up, they still didn't like it. He then went 5-1 up and, yeah, one of them moments," he added.
Littler believes he's not alone in facing such treatment from German crowds.
"It's something we've all got to deal with," he stated matter-of-factly.
The young star pointed out that fellow Englishman Luke Humphries experiences similar hostility.
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Luke Littler and Luke Humphries get booed because they are English, the teenager insisted
Getty"For myself, obviously, there are certain people in the crowd who aim it at certain players," Littler explained.
He then directly addressed what he perceives as the root cause of the negative reception.
"Me and Luke Humphries, we get it quite a lot. Obviously, the Germans musn't like us English!" he concluded.
Despite the challenging reception, Littler appears to be taking the situation in his stride.
