Latest news with #VanBarneveld
Scottish Sun
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
‘I struggle' – Five-time darts world champion drops retirement hint and is ‘not sure how much longer I can keep going'
The Dutchman previously announced plans to retire but then reversed his decision DARTBREAK 'I struggle' – Five-time darts world champion drops retirement hint and is 'not sure how much longer I can keep going' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DARTS icon Raymond van Barneveld has announced his intention to gradually close out his playing days. The Dutchman has enjoyed a career which has so far spanned over 40 years. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Raymond van Barneveld has announced his plans to wind down from darts Credit: Getty 2 Van Barneveld admitted he sometimes struggles with the physical demands of the tour Credit: Rex During that time, Van Barneveld has accrued five World Darts Championship titles and established himself as one of the greats. But his time in the sport is coming to an end. Speaking to recently, the 58-year-old revealed that he intends to start winding down later this year. He said: "Of course, you want to make the Matchplay. But starting next year, I really need to slow things down. It's all becoming a bit too much." READ MORE IN DARTS CALLING IT A DAY One of darts' most recognisable voices makes retirement decision Van Barneveld suggested that he may reduce the amount of events he plays at starting in the near future. He continued: "Maybe cut back on the Pro Tours. I'll keep playing the Euro Tours as long as I'm in the top 16. But let's be honest, the schedule is madness — it barely leaves any time to rest." The Dutchman also admitted that he now finds it difficult keeping up with the physical demands of the tour. "I've been doing this for forty years now, and I still love it," he said. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "When you're up there warming up and hear the crowd — it gives you an incredible feeling of pride. "But while the mind is still willing, the body doesn't always follow. That's the tough part. 'It's a little bit insane' - Raymond van Barneveld reveals what's going wrong for Michael van Gerwen at the moment "I do struggle with that. It takes a lot of mental energy. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going." Van Barneveld initially announced plans to retire after losing to Darin Young in the first round of the 2020 World Championship. However, just one year later, he reversed his decision and returned to the oche. Since then, the former World Champion has been competing regularly at events.
The Irish Sun
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I struggle' – Five-time darts world champion drops retirement hint and is ‘not sure how much longer I can keep going'
DARTS icon Raymond van Barneveld has announced his intention to gradually close out his playing days. The Dutchman has enjoyed a career which has so far spanned over 40 years. Advertisement 2 Raymond van Barneveld has announced his plans to wind down from darts Credit: Getty 2 Van Barneveld admitted he sometimes struggles with the physical demands of the tour Credit: Rex During that time, But his time in the sport is coming to an end. Speaking to He said: "Of course, you want to make the Matchplay. But starting next year, I really need to slow things down. It's all becoming a bit too much." Advertisement READ MORE IN DARTS Van Barneveld suggested that he may reduce the amount of events he plays at starting in the near future. He continued: "Maybe cut back on the Pro Tours. I'll keep playing the Euro Tours as long as I'm in the top 16. But let's be honest, the schedule is madness — it barely leaves any time to rest." The Dutchman also admitted that he now finds it difficult keeping up with the physical demands of the tour. "I've been doing this for forty years now, and I still love it," he said. Advertisement Most read in Darts CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "When you're up there warming up and hear the crowd — it gives you an incredible feeling of pride. "But while the mind is still willing, the body doesn't always follow. That's the tough part. 'It's a little bit insane' - Raymond van Barneveld reveals what's going wrong for Michael van Gerwen at the moment "I do struggle with that. It takes a lot of mental energy. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going." Advertisement Van Barneveld initially announced plans to retire after losing to Darin Young in the first round of the 2020 World Championship. However, just one year later, he reversed his decision and returned to the oche. Since then, the former World Champion has been competing regularly at events.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Darts' hell-raisers: From the Dutch icon caught in hotel tryst to the former world champion embroiled in a sexting scandal with a FAN - the wildest characters to grace the oche
The rise of teenage sensation Luke Littler has lifted darts to a level that has never been seen before. He has taken the darting world by storm over the past 18 months and everyone is benefitting, with the prize money for the 2026 World Championship winner set to rise to a staggering £1m. Darts was once viewed as a pub game largely played by middle-aged men, but Littler, 18, has ushered in a new era, with thousands of fans packing out venues every week to watch him play. Littler lets his darts do most of the talking, but that is not the case for everyone. Some players have been caught up in some controversial incidents both on and off the oche over the years. From sexting scandals to accusations of farting to put opponents off, darts has seen it all. Now, Mail Sport reflects on some of the sport's biggest hell-raisers, with multiple world champions making the list. Van Barneveld's hotel tryst Raymond van Barneveld is a five-time world champion and one of the greatest players to ever pick up a set of darts. But he caused a major stir away from the oche in March 2019 when he was spotted snogging a mystery woman in a hotel lobby while he was still married to his first wife, Silvia. Hotel guests were left stunned as the Dutch icon did little to hide the romance from the public, just weeks after Silvia - who shares three children with Van Barneveld - had denied their marriage was on the rocks. Their divorce was finalised that year, and it later transpired that the woman Van Barneveld had been kissing was British beauty Julia Evans, who is 18 years his junior. Van Barneveld and Evans began officially dating in April 2019, and tied the knot in Cyprus in September 2023, just one year after he proposed to her in front of the Eiffel Tower. Evans previously worked for TfL, but is now Van Barneveld's assistant manager. Van Gerwen's sexting scandal Michael van Gerwen is widely recognised as an all-time great on the oche, but he made headlines for very different reasons in 2015. Just eight months after tying the knot with childhood sweetheart Daphne, the Dutchman was caught up in a sexting scandal after inviting a fan to meet him at a hotel. Van Gerwen reportedly spotted Stacey Owen from Bradford in the crowd at one of his matches, and they subsequently began sending messages to each other. The three-time world champion later admitted to texting Owen as he issued a public apology to his wife. 'I deeply regret my decision to exchange messages with Stacey Owen and my decision to meet her whilst I was already in the UK to play in the Premier League. 'I wish to make clear that there has never been any physical relationship between Ms Owen and myself. 'My primary concern is for my family and my wife Daphne, who I apologise to unreservedly. My hope is that people will now allow me to move forward and focus on my performances on the oche.' Van Gerwen and Daphne share two children, and they remain together to this day. Disgraced Hankey's dance with the devil Ted Hankey won the BDO World Darts Championship twice in 2000 and 2009, and he went viral during a match with John Walton when he was caught on camera talking to himself about which double he was going to leave himself to secure victory. After taking a step back to compose himself, Hankey asked: 'Do I fancy double 12 or double 8? Who's in charge: me or the devil? I think I'm in charge. Double 8 and shake his hand.' After missing his first dart at double 8, Hankey urged himself on by saying: 'Come on you ****!' He then missed his next dart at the same double, and reacted furiously. It was a bizarre moment from one of the sport's biggest stars who continued playing until 2016. Five years later, Hankey pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a girl who was older than 16 but younger than 18 at the time of the offence. He was sentenced to two years in jail in May 2022, while also being placed on the sex offender registry for 10 years. Mail Sport exclusively revealed in February that he was released from jail early in 2023. Bristow's football sex abuse comments shame Characters don't come much bigger than 'The Crafty Cockney' Eric Bristow. The five-time world champion dominated the sport in the 1980s, doing so while often sipping a pint and puffing on a cigarette. After retiring he moved into punditry, but that all came crashing down in 2016 when he suggested on Twitter that football abuse victims were 'not proper men'. He went on to ask why victims didn't 'sort out' their abusers 'when they got older and fitter'. Bristow subsequently deleted his posts, but it was too little, too late for Sky who confirmed they would not be working with him again. Bristow passed away at the age of 60 in 2018 after suffering a heart attack while attending a Premier League Darts event in Liverpool. Wade has a lick of Luke Has there been a better left-handed player than James Wade? He may not have a world title to his name yet, but Wade has been at the business end of major tournaments for two decades. But he has also been involved in the odd bizarre moment on stage, including earlier this year. After beating world No 1 Luke Humphries 10-9 in the quarter-finals of the UK Open, Wade appeared to lick his opponent's neck as they went to hug each other. Humphries did not make much of the incident, but did vent his frustration at Wade's general behaviour on stage after the loss before later deleting his X posts. Humphries wrote: 'Everyone loves to see people be a bad loser but I'm generally one of the best losers in the sport,' he wrote. 'I wasn't going to give someone, who didn't deserve my respect after what he was doing through the game, a hug and be all happy about it that's just my honesty.' The bizarre moment came after Wade beat Humphries in a deciding leg at the UK Open Anderson's furious fart denial Darts is essentially about outscoring your opponent and then holding your nerve on the doubles, but gamesmanship is a real part of the sport. Players have been known to deliberately slow down, stand too close to their opponent or even talk during their throw just to gain a psychological edge. But what about farting? Back in 2018, two-time world champion Gary Anderson found himself in the middle of a farting storm after being accused of breaking wind by his Dutch rival Wesley Harms during their match. Anderson only learned of Harms' allegation in his post-match interview, which led to him giving a memorable response. 'You can put your finger up my a***, there will be no smell there!' Anderson replied. 'I thought he had s***, and I went "that's dirty".' He added: 'It definitely came from table-side and it was eggs, rotten eggs, but not from me. Every time I walked past there was a waft of rotten eggs so that's why I was thinking it was him. 'If the boy thinks I've farted he's 100 per cent wrong. I swear on my children's lives that it was not my fault.' That's you told, Wesley. Harms (pictured) had appeared to suggest Anderson farted to put him off Price blocks out the noise Welsh star Gerwyn Price has embraced his role as the pantomime villain since bursting onto the scene, enjoying every chance to wind up the crowd with his elaborate celebrations. But 'The Iceman' has not always been able to keep his cool on stage. Back in the 2022/23 World Championship, Price started poorly in his match with Germany's Gabriel Clemens and responded by returning to the stage from a mid-match break while wearing ear defenders to block out the noise of the crowd. The unusual strategy failed to pay dividends as the 2021 world champion still went on to lose to Clemens to exit the tournament. It proved to be a one-off as the PDC subsequently banned ear defenders, although ear plugs are still permitted. The updated rules state: 'Players are not permitted to wear earphones, headphones or headphone-type ear defenders during the throw at the bull prior to the match or during matchplay.' His unusual tactic did not work as he still went on to lose to the German player Taylor threatens to quit over handshake bust-up Littler still has some way to go to match the achievements of the greatest darts player of all time, Phil Taylor. But Taylor threatened to quit the sport in 2006 after a furious row with rival Chris Mason during the World Championship. Taylor won their third round clash 4-0, but tempers flared and words were exchanged when they went to shake hands after Mason had accused his fellow Englishman of being arrogant and materialistic prior to their match. Explaining the spat, Taylor said: 'I shook his hand and went to go and he said "Don't effing something else". I don't like it and I won't put up with it.' Asked how he was planning to respond, Taylor replied: "I'll just walk away. Keep the game - I don't want it. I'm not going to listen to filth when I'm trying my hardest. 'I've put 18 years of my life into this game and I won't be talked to like a piece of dirt. I won't put up with it. 'You can get someone else to take my place, because I'm not putting up with it any more off people like him.' Despite threatening to leave behind the sport he had dominated for over a decade, Taylor eventually opted to play on and won another three world titles to finish his career with a grand total of 16 to his name. Taylor threatened to quit the sport over the incident, but went on to win three more world titles Cough-gate hits Ally Pally Just months before Gary Anderson denied farting to put his opponent off, Justin Pipe was forced to hit back at accusations that he deliberately coughed when his rival was throwing for victory. Pipe was playing New Zealand's Bernie Smith at the 2017 World Championship and looked set to crash out as the qualifier stepped up to hit the match-winning double. As Smith went to aim for double 10, Pipe appeared to have a coughing fit, and his actions were picked up by the Sky Sports commentary team. After Smith missed the intended target, one commentator blasted Pipe as they said: 'He cheated. Simple. He coughed in the hope Smith would miss.' Pipe was subsequently asked about the incident, but insisted he had done nothing wrong. 'I would never do something to put another player off and Bernie didn't say anything to me on the night,' Pipe claimed. 'As far as I'm aware there is no issue from his side and this has been blown out of proportion.' Pipe's comeback win over Smith set up a second round clash with Phil Taylor. Pipe was knocked out by 'The Power' without winning a single set. Justin Pipe denied that he coughed on purpose to put Bernie Smith off when he went for a crucial double Match-fixer given eight-year ban Indian darts star Prakash Jiwa made his World Championship debut at the age of 52 in 2022. Less than a year later he was suspended by the Darts Regulation Authority while they conducted an investigation into suspicious betting patterns for some of the matches he was involved in at a Modus Super Series event in 2023. Fellow players Jack Main and Andy Jenkins were also suspended during the investigation process. Last month, Jiwa was found guilty of fixing four matches and betting on others as he was handed an eight-year ban from darts. The ban was backdated to when his initial suspension began, meaning he will not be allowed to play again until November 6, 2031. Main was hit with a two-year ban, while Jenkins is still being investigated for any potential wrongdoing.
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ex-world darts champion makes bold prize money claim - 'They have to look into it'
There have been some complaints about the prize money players receive in recent years and Raymond Van Barneveld has called on the PDC to think about the stars lower down the ranks Former darts world champion Raymond van Barneveld has called on the PDC to hand out more prize money for players who finish at the bottom end of tournaments. The 58-year-old is a five-time world champion and is estimated to have won more than £4million in prize money during his career. Van Barneveld is still competing at the top level of the sport as he prepares to compete in the Austrian Darts Open this week, with the veteran star set to face Czech player Karel Sedlacek. But there have been some complaints about the prize money players receive in recent years who don't reach the final stages of tournaments and Van Barneveld has called on the PDC to think about the stars lower down the ranks who are struggling to make ends meet when they struggle to win games. "The prize money for all the majors is fantastic but they have to start thinking about the other players as well," he told Online Darts. "Because if you're not in a major, only 32 players are involved in that, and if you're not involved in these tournaments, it's almost impossible to qualify for the World Match Play. It's very hard to go to the Grand Prix from there, you have to do really well. "So I was thinking, if they would have done more prize money in the Pro Tour events, where everyone is, you have 128 players, there's nothing you get for the first round. If you get beat, you get nothing - but you still have to pay for your flights, your hotels, your taxis. I think the PDC have to look into that. "Maybe £250 for starters and if you win, £1250 or £1000, which will make all the players happier. Sometimes you do 34 Pro Tours and if you lose a lot of them you won't get paid anything. Your hotel needs to be paid, your travel needs to be paid and that goes really fast because everything is getting expensive. "We've got 128 players, They top you up £250 - give the £250 on the 64 losers. Every day you will still earn £250. That will mean that possible players in the future can look after themselves instead of going straight to management. I think they have to look into that because it costs a lot of money." It comes after the PDC announced they would be increasing their prize money for the World Darts Championship to £1million for the winner and £25m overall after a surge in popularity for the sport - thanks to the emergence of superstars like Luke Littler. The PDC also said they would boost prize funds at all levels on the pro circuit from 2026 onwards, with an increase of £7m from the figures in 2025. They announced that next season's winner of the Premier League Darts would also get £350,000 - with the overall prize pot raised to £1.25m, with £1m on offer at the World Matchplay and Grand Slam of Darts. PDC chief Matt Porter said: "The increased prize funds announced today demonstrate our commitment to growing earning potential for players at all levels within the PDC system. Expanding the player fields for the World Darts Championship and Grand Slam of Darts will provide more opportunities than ever before for players around the world to feature in televised PDC events. "The incredible growth of the PDC in recent years has seen darts elevated to levels never seen before both in terms of playing opportunities and global interest and this is a huge moment for all players with the ambition to make it to the very pinnacle of the sport."
