Mensur Suljovic Footage From Younger Days Goes Viral After ‘Cheat’ Claim

Footage of Mensur Suljovic in his younger days has emerged amid the cheating row which rocked the World Darts Championship.

Suljovic reached the third round of the tournament but was beaten 4-0 by reigning champion Luke Litter, earning £35,000 for his participation.

But he was at he heart of huge controversy in the second round after Joe Cullen, the man who he beat 3-1, accused him of cheating.

'The Rockstar' took issue with the amount of time Suljovic took to retrieve his darts after throwing at the board - with the referee Kirk Bevins had to give Suljovic a warning - while he also appeared frustrated at the length of his celebrations.

"If that’s darts, I don’t want no part of it!" he wrote on X.

"Always liked Mensur away from the board but that was plain for all to see!

"I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way. The old guard will say it’s part of the game but word it how you will - it’s CHEATING! That’s not darts."

Suljovic is renowned for being a slow player at the oche. Image: Getty

In his press conference, Suljovic refused to apologise to 'The Rockstar' for what was deemed to be gamesmanship as he stated, "I never played slow" and "everybody plays different".

Doubling down on his claims, Cullen spoke to the Telegraph and Argus and still maintained that the Austrian cheated.

"I still personally think it is cheating," he stated.

"I’ve always said it since I started playing. If you’re doing something to deliberately affect the other player, I stand by believing that’s cheating. I’ve always got on with Mensur pretty well, so it was disappointing."

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Littler disagreed with Cullen's claim that Suljovic's antics were cheating and said that it is "just how he plays" ahead of their match-up.

The Champions League of Darts winner is known for taking much longer than his opponents, regularly pausing flicking his flight until settled and sometimes taking between eight and 12 seconds for each dart in tense, high-pressure scenarios.

But it has not always the case for Suljovic, once ranked No.5 in his highest position.

A video on YouTube from Darts Planet titled "Look How Quickly Mensur Suljovic Used To Throw His Darts" shows 'The Gentle' moving at a much quicker pace back in the day.

Some speculated that Suljovic's slower approach came as a result of dartitis, a psychological condition which impacts players.

Dartitis maks it extremely tough for players to release the dart at the right time and a number of players have struggled with it over the years.

World youth champion Gian Van Veen, who takes on Charlie Manby in the round of 16, was eventually able to use the condition to aid his game - performing a ghost throw which makes his arm nice and loose for his actual throw.

Suljovic has never been confirmed to suffer from the condition despite having some signs.