Smith brands Suljovic an “absolute helmet” after crowd-riling antics

ROSS SMITH branded Mensur Suljovic an “absolute helmet” after a controversial defeat at the Swiss Darts Trophy.

The world No15 was left fuming after Suljovic appeared to gee up the crowd as he threw for the match in their dramatic third-round clash.

Smith, 37, led 5-3 but saw his advantage slip away as the Austrian fought back to snatch a 6-5 victory.

Suljovic was seen waving his arms in the air behind Smith’s back, who missed two match darts at double 18 to win the contest.

The Gentle then celebrated after Smith failed to take his chances before pinning double 10 to complete the comeback.

Two-time major winner Smith and Suljovic shared a frosty handshake at the end of the match.

Smith later responded to the controversy himself, insisting he did not blame Suljovic for his defeat despite taking aim at his conduct.

He wrote on X: “I dont blame Mensur for me losing that game. I missed 2 match darts. Simple as that.

“Obviously its impossible for me to no what hes doing behind my back when im throwing apart from the the crowds response. If he wants to be an absolute helmet thats on him #karma will come around.”

Darts influencer Josh Pearson was furious with the scenes and called on the PDC to take action against Suljovic.

He wrote on X: “I love Mensur Suljovic but that was absolutely disgusting behaviour from him, hope they throw the book at him after that I bet Ross Smith is absolutely livid and I wouldn’t blame him one bit. Pathetic.

“It’s bad enough when the crowd are putting a player off. It’s even worse when an opponent is actively encouraging the crowd to put a player off It’s cheating, pure and simple. Throw the book at him @OfficialPDC 👍🏼”

It is not the first time Suljovic has faced accusations of gamesmanship, having been branded a “cheat” by Joe Cullen following their second-round clash at the World Championship last year.

Suljovic came out on top with a 3-1 victory but was accused of taking too long to retrieve his darts and celebrating excessively between legs, forcing referee Kirk Bevins to intervene.