Vincent van der Voort has launched a blistering attack on Luke Humphries, branding the world number two “cowardly” for backtracking on his criticism of the Copenhagen crowd. Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, the former professional expressed disbelief at Humphries’ social media apology a day after the Nordic Darts Masters final, where the Englishman had visibly fumed over fan behaviour.
Humphries lost the final to Michael van Gerwen and appeared deeply frustrated in his post-match interview, hinting that the crowd’s conduct had annoyed him throughout the weekend. Van der Voort said: “He was quite irritated; he was completely fed up with the crowd. Even afterwards in his interview. You could see it on his face: he wasn't in the mood for anything.” But the Dutchman was scathing when Humphries later posted a conciliatory message thanking fans for their support. “Afterwards, he came out with such a cowardly statement on his social media in which he thanked the fans after all,” Van der Voort said. “That is all being handled by his management.”
Van der Voort insisted players should be free to speak honestly when crowds overstep. “I actually think it's good that he says it for once. That they come to Copenhagen to entertain the crowd and then get booed every time. Then you shouldn't backtrack on your statement the very next day.” The criticism comes after several players reported being booed and disrupted during matches at the event.
Van Gerwen also made headlines when he asked organisers to remove a fan dressed as Elvis Presley who was standing next to the stage during his quarterfinal. Van der Voort revealed he spoke to Van Gerwen afterward: “He was completely fed up with it. But he was also realistic. If you are throwing well, you hardly notice it. If things aren't going well and you see that Elvis walking back and forth all the time in his flashy white suit, then you start to get annoyed.”
The incidents have reignited debate about crowd behaviour in darts. Van der Voort concluded: “Supporters can have fun and make noise—that’s part of darts. But if it mainly becomes about hindering players, you’ve gone too far. In the end, those lads are there to play a match and give the crowd a great night.”
