DE DECKER STANCE UNCHANGED
04/02/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar
MIKE DE DECKER still stands by his comments regarding his exclusion from this year’s Premier League lineup but realises he “misstated certain things.”
The Belgian returned to action at the Winmau World Masters but was knocked out in the first round by James Wade.
‘The Real Deal’ had a brilliant 2024 where he won his first Major and Players Championship title.
However, despite his impressive achievements, De Decker made history for an unfortunate reason—becoming the first player in the 20-year history of the Premier League to miss the cut after winning the World Grand Prix leaving the 29-year-old frustrated.
He told Het Nieuwsblad: “I misstated certain things. But I still stand by it. Maybe the PDC is right, and it was too early to put me in the Premier league. But I still think it’s a strange choice. So be it, they are the boss. If they think it’s still too early, I guess it’s true, right?
“I don’t think I said anything wrong. There are a lot of people who think the same way. They may not like it when I say it, but that’s the way I am. If I don’t like something, I say so. If it doesn’t click, then I clash. It’s just the truth.”
He added: “Aspinall? Fantastic darter, really. And so is Price. But you can’t expect me to understand why they’re there and I’m not.
“Aspinall is not in shape and is struggling with an injury, and Price effectively said he didn’t want to participate. I just repeated what they said.”
Images by Taylor Lanning.
