Mike De Decker will not compete at the Dutch Darts Masters later this month (Image: Getty)
Mike De Decker has fired shots at organisers of the Dutch Darts Masters after turning down an invite to compete at the event.
De Decker is still reeling from being the first reigning World Grand Prix champion in two decades to be left out of the line-up for the following year – a decision he called ‘scandalous’.
‘The Real Deal’ could have made a statement against a selection of the world’s best players at the Dutch Darts Masters, which gets underway on January 24 in Den Bosch. De Decker was asked to be one of the eight Benelux competitors alongside the eight high-ranking players who make up the roster, including , and .
But the timing of his invite, and the fact the tournament clashes with a family holiday, convinced him to decline. “I only the got the email last week saying they wanted me to be there,” De Decker told the podcast. “But I’m in Dubai on holiday around those days so I can’t.
“If only they could have let me know earlier. And for the starting money I get, I’m not going to reschedule my vacation. Then it would cost me more than it gives me. So I won’t be there.”
De Decker continued by laying into the location of the event, admitting he would rather be invited to one of the few far-flung destinations on the darts calendar.
Mike De Decker has taken a pop at the Dutch city of Den Bosch (Image: Getty)
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“The World Series is not a tournament I was looking forward to anyway, and certainly not the one in the Netherlands,” he added. “If you get invited then you want to go to Bahrain or Australia. At least those are nice countries. Of all the places where those tournaments are, you don’t want to be invited to Den Bosch.”
Belgian thrower De Decker went into the World Darts Championship in sparkling form before suffering a shock defeat against Luke Woodhouse in the first round. Even in his absence, fans will have a strong selection of other Benelux competitors to cheer on in Den Bosch.
Former world champion Raymond van Barneveld will compete against the likes of Danny Noppert, Jermaine Wattimena and Kevin Doets. The eight PDC representatives will also make a charge for the title and the £20,000 cash prize that comes with it.
Littler is fresh from winning his first world title and Humphries is the world No. 1, while Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price and Chris Dobey all enjoyed deep runs at the Ally Pally.