Scott Williams admits his ‘world wars’ comment after darts win was ‘stupid’

The statement made by Scott Williams after winning the third-round match against Martin Schindler in the PDC world darts championship has caused a stir. Williams mentioned "two world wars and one World Cup", which has led to controversy.

In a highly anticipated return to London's Alexandra Palace after the Christmas hiatus, Williams emerged victorious in an exhilarating match, ultimately winning four out of seven sets. Though he found himself with a 2-0 and 3-2 deficit at different points, the determined qualifier rallied and came out on top in the final set. The electric energy of the crowd only heightened the excitement, but it was the interview Williams gave after the match that really captivated audiences.

Williams, who resides in Boston, Lincolnshire, shared with Sky Sports that he had yet to encounter such an enthusiastic crowd on his behalf. He acknowledged that although the United Kingdom has been victorious in two world wars and one World Cup, the cheering crowd was something remarkable. Furthermore, Williams expressed his admiration for the sizeable group of German fans present at the location.

Wow, what an amazing game! It brings me so much joy to emerge victorious. Martin put up a good fight and I didn't anticipate us going so far as sudden death. I'm exhausted, completely drained of energy!

Following the interview, Emma Paton, a presenter from Sky, expressed regret for the comment made by Williams. "We would like to apologize if any of the language used caused offense," she stated. "The situation was highly charged earlier today."

Williams, who is set to compete against either Damon Heta from Australia or Berry van Peer from the Netherlands in the last 16, posted a tweet afterwards addressing his comments. While he received supportive messages from many people, he also received some unpleasant messages from German fans. However, he didn't take it personally and understood why they may have reacted that way. Williams clarified that he was just joking around with the crowd and engaging in some banter. He proudly declared that he is British and thrilled to have made it to the last 16.

Williams stated that his previous comments on stage were foolish. He expressed his admiration for the individuals, cuisines, and places he encountered.

The existing global rank of Williams is 52. In his press conference after the match, he spoke about the ambiance. Williams claimed that the audience was supporting him around 85% of the time. Nonetheless, the constant noise and encouragement were draining him out. Although he had an inclination to sing along and join in the chants, he had to resist the urge. Because Williams is an exuberant person, and he wished to provide the audience with the entertainment they had paid for.

The issue of international relations has caused problems on the darts stage before. James Wade's win against Seigo Asada from Japan was controversial in 2018 when he made comments about how the victory was for his country and that he wanted to hurt Asada for his son and the UK. Wayne Mardle, a Sky commentator, commented that there was no room for such remarks in the sport of darts.

In the previous year, Gerwyn Price from Wales chose to wear ear protectors while competing in a match. He even contemplated not participating in the competition since he believed that the spectators would not be supportive. Nevertheless, Price triumphed in the 2021 world championship when it was held without an audience. He has now rejoined the competition, and his recent performance impressed him as the onlookers were "really kind" to him after he won his opening match last week.

During the afternoon session on Wednesday in the tournament, Rob Cross, the reigning champion from 2018, advanced to the fourth round by winning 4-2 against Sweden's Jeffrey de Graaf. In the match, Cross managed to hit 10 maximum points and had an average score of 101.32. He successfully held off his opponent, who posed a significant threat. Cross' victory led to a last-16 encounter with either Jonny Clayton or Krzysztof Ratajski from Poland.

In the afternoon match, Dave Chisnall, who was ranked No 11, emerged victorious by beating Gabriel Clemens, a semi-finalist from last year's tournament, by a score of 4-1. Even though Clemens from Germany had a better overall performance, he missed some crucial opportunities to score points. This allowed Chisnall to take advantage and move ahead in the tournament. In the upcoming round, he will face either Ricky Evans or Daryl Gurney.