Joe Cullen has doubled down on his scathing attack on opponent Mensur Suljovic, standing by his claim of ‘cheating’ against the Austrian. The darts star fell to a 3-1 second-round defeat against Suljovic at the World Darts Championships at Alexandra Palace.
Cullen was angered by his opponent’s pace throughout the match. He was seen glancing at his watch and muttering, ‘Hurry up,’ while Suljovic prepared himself at the oche. He was then spotted exchanging sharp words during the post-match handshake.
Following the match, Cullen vented his frustrations at the situation on social media. He posted: “If that’s darts, I don’t want no part of it! 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.”
His comments have earned him some criticism from around the sport, but in his latest comments, Cullen is sticking by his stance. He told the Telegraph and Argus: “It was a bit of a head loss from myself afterwards, though I still don’t agree with what Mensur does.
“I know he plays that way most of the time, but he was worse than usual.
“He even got warned by the referee, which I’ve never seen before, so I can point my finger at Mensur and say he was an a****ole. But ultimately, Mensur was poor and I let it affect me, which is more of a gripe on my part.”
When asked if he regretted accusing his opponents of cheating, he said: “I still personally think it is cheating. 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. He knew exactly what he was doing and he did exactly what I expected, just a little bit worse.
“Ultimately he was very poor and that’s the most frustrating thing for myself, because I should win that game comfortably.” Suljovic is next in action on Saturday when he takes on defending champions Luke Littler in their round of the World Championships. The game is expected to start at around 9.40pm.