Mike De Decker has blasted the PDC’s decision to omit him from the 2025 Premier League Darts line-up and has questioned the decision to include Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall.
De Decker secured his first major ranking title at the World Grand Prix last October, but has become the first Grand Prix champion in 20 years to be left out of the Premier League.
The Belgian was not among the eight-player field for the sport’s biggest invitational event when the line-up was announced on Monday and has made his feelings clear over his surprise omission.
Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, De Decker said: “My first feeling immediately after the announcement was one of disbelief.
“For the past 20 years, the World Grand Prix winner was there every time.
“Of course, I can’t change anything about it, the PDC is boss. But I think their decision, to be honest, is a bit scandalous.”
The 29-year-old, whose Premier League hopes were heavily dented by his Last 64 exit at the World Championship, has hit out over the inclusion of Price and Aspinall – who both failed to pick up major silverware in 2024.
Price suggested in early December that he would turn down a Premier League spot if picked, but the Welshman has since reversed those comments.
De Decker offered: “Yeah, come on, I don’t buy that. If Price throws badly for two out of the first three weeks, he’ll post something on Instagram again and start complaining. But they’ll stick him in again.”
He also referenced Aspinall’s ongoing battle with dartitis and claimed the Stockport thrower had only been included for “entertainment” reasons due to popular walk-on song – ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers.
“I don’t get it at all, especially Aspinall and Price,” added De Decker. “They didn’t deserve it. And then they reach a quarter-final at the World Championship and suddenly they’re there.
“I don’t have a problem with Aspinall. Mind you, but he’s been struggling with dartitis for two years. Aspinall is in it purely for the entertainment.
“It just has to be fun for the audience, be clear about that. You now get a glorious exhibition tournament of 17 weeks, nothing more.
“I also have a good walk-on. At almost every tournament these days they sing along to my song. Everyone loved it at the World Championship too.”
De Decker also criticised PDC chief executive Matt Porter’s reasoning for leaving him out of the competition, adding: “That explanation, I didn’t think it was fair.
“Only at the World Championship, things didn’t go well. It sucks and it’s a shame that it happened then, but still. To say that I’m ‘not ready’ is too simplistic.
“It’s a shame that they thought that way. I do feel ready, because I’ve shown that I can compete with the world’s best.
“I want to destroy everything this year. Not that I’m going to win everything like Humphries [in 2023] after they kept him out of the Premier League, but I’m going to try my damnedest.”
Porter defending the decision to leave out De Decker, insisting that he has still to demonstrate the consistency required to be considered worthy of a Premier League spot.
He explained: “We’ve seen players in the past, I don’t want to embarrass them by naming them, but players like Danny Noppert, Ross Smith and Andrew Gilding that have won TV tournaments.
“But you have to show that you can compete in the latter stages of TV tournaments on a regular basis.
“Doing it once is fantastic and is something that you will always have but to really be part of the elite, you have to be doing it on a regular basis over multiple years.”
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