Darts icon Michael van Gerwen denied allegations of cheating after he was accused by Danny Noppert of stamping to put his opponent off during their World Grand Prix match.
Noppert came out on top in their first-round clash, winning 2-0, but the 30-year-old insisted Van Gerwen would stamp at pivotal moments.
After winning the first set in style, Noppert stepped his game up another gear to pull out an incredible 103 to set up a deciding leg.
Once Noppert had secured his terrific victory, there was no handshake between the opponents. Noppert will face another Dutchman, Vincent van der Voort in the second round.
Noppert believes his compatriot was stamping each time he was aiming for a double to secure a leg in an underhanded attempt to distract him.
“After the first set, we had some troubles behind the stage because I thought he was stamping on the floor if I was on a double,” Noppert told Sky Sports. “No bad words for him, but yeah.”
Noppert was more direct with his accusations when speaking to Boyle Sports: “Every time I was on a double, he was stamping on the floor for myself.
“After the first set we met each other backstage and we had some words with each other.
“That was my feeling about it but I am happy with the win.”
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Van Gerwen initially took to social media to respond to Noppert’s allegations, thanking the fans before addressing his opponent’s comments.
“Angry and disappointed that I didn’t win tonight. The fans were phenomenal in Leicester tonight,” the world number three wrote on Twitter.
“I have played this sport a long time and have never and will never use tactics on the oche. Thank you for all the support.”
The 32-year-old later admitted he was upset by Noppert’s allegations of gamesmanship.
“He said to me that I was a cheater, that I was stomping. I was a bit upset about that,” Van Gerwen told Dutch TV station RTL7.
“Of course that shouldn't happen, I have to blame myself for that. But of course you are affected by something like that. If someone is not like that, it's me who wins. I certainly resent that.”
Former player Wayne Mardle said ‘only Michael [van Gerwen] knows if he was stamping’, and suggested that such tactics would be out of character for the Dutch champion.
Following his shock defeat, Van Gerwen joined Peter Wright and Gary Anderson in suffering early exits at the Morningside Arena to leave world number one Gerwyn Price as the favourite to retain his title.
