BURNETT SLAMS BDO AS BULLIES

RICHIE BURNETT has accused the BDO of being “bullies” and running darts like amateurs.

‘The Prince of Wales’ won the Lakeside World Championship in 1995 and was once ranked world number one.

Burnett enjoyed immediate success on the PDC Tour as he reached the final of the World Matchplay in 2001 before being beaten by Phil Taylor.

But Burnett pulled no punches over his experience with the BDO, accusing the organisation of being completely out of its depth at the top level of the sport.

He told the Tops and Tales podcast: “I thought the BDO were bullies. There was too much conflict of interest.

“You can’t run a professional sport with amateurs in charge. If you run an amateur sport, you get amateur results.

“When I moved over [to the PDC], nothing was given to me — I had to earn everything,

“But they listened. And that’s how it should be.”

The Welshman was equally frank about BDO founder Olly Croft, admitting their relationship was fractured from the start.

He added: “I could never get on with Olly. He didn’t like me because I was too honest.

“I moved, left a void behind… three finals in four years, then gone, and no recognition.

“That means everything to me. The rest doesn’t matter.”

Burnett was banned for 18 months after UK Anti-Doping confirmed in October 2015 that he had tested positive for cocaine at the Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier in November 2014.

The 58-year-old has since opened up on the lowest point of his career, admitting he deeply regrets the mistake.

He continued: “It was two years — but really it was 28 months.

“My suspension ended in March, but I had to wait until January to play again.

“It was a stupid mistake and a low point.

“I still practised every day. I couldn’t stop playing. I wish it never happened — but I moved on.”

Burnett returned to competition in late 2016, claiming two Challenge Tour titles and regaining his Tour Card the following year.

In 2023, Burnett enjoyed his strongest televised performance in years, advancing to the quarter-finals of the UK Open.

Image by Taylor Lanning.