World number 18 Mike De Decker has been criticised for what he posted on Instagram following his shock defeat to David Munyua.
De Decker was dumped out of the first round of the PDC World Darts Championship, which is currently taking place at Alexandra Palace, by Kenyan debutant Munyua.
Against all odds, Munya, who works as a vet, came from two sets down to beat the Belgian 3-2 in front of a raucous crowd who could not believe that they had just witnessed such an upset.
The 30-year-old, who qualified through the African Darts Groups qualifiers, described his win as being a “big moment for the sport, for Africa and for Kenya”.
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Since his defeat, De Decker has taken to social media to not only congratulate Munyua but also to have a pop at the crowd.
“Well done, David,” he wrote.
“But the crowd? Wow... Booing and whistling shouldn’t be normal or encouraged. You’re the first to complain when it happens to British players in Europe, yet you do exactly the same when the tournament is in the United Kingdom.”
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Of course, throughout 2025, there have been multiple incidents involving players and the crowd, with a number speaking out about the treatment they have received from spectators – including world number two Luke Humphries, who was the subject of boos and whistling when he faced Luke Littler in the Premier League back in February.
Littler has also faced hostile crowds particularly during events in Germany.
Now, several fans have reacted to De Decker’s statement, and not everyone is best pleased with his comments.
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One said: “I agree with bits, the whistling especially is just getting worse and worse.
“On the other hand, it’s not a competition. If you whistle, then you’re a d***head regardless of where the tournaments are being held - it happens absolutely everywhere now.”
Another added: “Most of the crowd at the Ally Pally are just there on work Xmas dos and are not there for the Darts, so they don't mind whistling and putting off players.”
A third claimed: “Watching some early all-pally games on Darts Classic and you can hear a pin drop when players are on the doubles. Mad that it’s now just accepted that people boo when someone is on the doubles.”
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While a fourth commented: “I agreed with him till the last bit - whistling is no more common at Ally Pally than it is the Euro Tours - and it’s called out equally at both. Simple as.”
As a fifth explained: "I'm fine with everything except for whistling. The whistling has to stop. It should be an immediate ejection from the venue if caught whistling - during the players throw. Whistling after the match or at the break is fine, but during the throw it's unnecessary and should be policed."
Topics: Darts
Luke Davies