After no Belgian players were selected for the Premier League Darts, Belgium has now faced another disappointment. The shortlist for the Player of the Year award, where fans can cast their votes, does not feature a single Belgian player.
The list includes names like James Wade, Peter Wright, and Nathan Aspinall—players who have had limited success in the past year—while notable figures like Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh, who have delivered strong performances, are notably absent.
Belgian darts icon Clarys expressed his frustration at HLN, asking, “What good does it do to win a major anymore?” He reflected on how winning a major title used to be the pinnacle, “the Valhalla” of darts, but now the PDC seems to diminish its value by treating it like any other tournament. He called the omission of Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh from the Player of the Year shortlist “another slap in the face” for the Belgian players.
Clarys continued, criticizing the PDC’s decision as a “devaluation” of the award. “What signal is the PDC sending out with this? That you don’t have to achieve anything to qualify?” he asked. “This is a heavily subjective list, and it’s insulting to other players.”
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After being left out of the Premier League Darts, Mike De Decker openly criticized the PDC, particularly CEO Matt Porter, for what he described as a lack of communication. Clarys speculated that this could be the reason for De Decker’s non-nomination, suggesting that the PDC tends to be very sensitive to criticism. He found it even more perplexing that Dimitri Van den Bergh was also excluded from the shortlist. “Besides the UK Open, Dimitri has had strong performances at other major events and even won a floor tournament,” Clarys pointed out.
Clarys also cautioned that De Decker should be careful not to push too hard, as he risks becoming persona non grata within the PDC. “Mike has to let his darts do the talking now, but that’s easier said than done,” he said. “He’s in a similar position to what Dimitri was in two years ago—everyone wants to bring him down.” Reflecting on his own experience, Clarys noted how difficult it was for a Belgian to break into the predominantly British sport. “Sometimes, it really felt like a losing battle. Their will is law.”
However, Clarys remains optimistic about the future of Belgian darts. “There’s a lot of Belgian talent coming through,” he said, highlighting the VTM Next Gen Darts Academy, where he serves as trainer and supervisor. “There are ten to fifteen young players who will be competing on the PDC Development Tour. Who knows, in a few years, we might see new top players emerge and look back at this unfortunate situation with a laugh.”
