Darts star bans TV channel after ‘disgusting’ incident at World Championship | Other | Sport
An irate Martin Schindler has imposed a TV ban due to what he describes as “disgusting” coverage in his native Germany. The country’s top-ranked player advanced to the second round of the World Darts Championship following a comfortable victory over Stephen Burton.
However, after his win, Schindler snubbed Sport1, Germany’s official tournament broadcaster, due to a disagreement over their reporting. Schindler, also known as ‘The Wall’, expressed his dissatisfaction with the media treatment following the Alexandra Palace exit of his young fellow German player, Niko Springer.
Schindler voiced his frustration: “You don’t really get support unless you’re successful. If you win, you’re the hero. If you lose, you’re the bad guy. It’s disgusting.”
He defended Springer, saying: “Niko has done some really good stuff this year. He really has. The pressure he’s receiving is massive. He also gets pressure from German fans and German media saying he’s had a great year, great averages and now he’s going to the Worlds and going to achieve this and that.
“He’s just 24, maybe 25, and he needs to grow. He needs to get used to the situation, the same way I had to learn it. He was playing under a lot of pressure that a guy in his first Q School year really shouldn’t have.”
Despite his grievances, Schindler was willing to participate in the official press conference, where his manager, Ioannis Selachoglou, provided an overview of the situation.
He revealed: “We have jointly decided not to give interviews to Sport1 at this time and for the remainder of the Worlds. This is not an impulsive move after one match. It’s a result of the way German darts has been reported on and how that coverage has then been presented and marketed by the editorial team.
“Martin wants the attention on his game. He has worked hard to be here and wants to use his energy where it matters most, on the stage.”
The broadcaster, boasting an extensive crew at Ally Pally, documenting the German competitors and the entire championship, maintained their reporting remains “balanced, fair, and where necessary, critical” whilst expressing optimism about future dialogue with Schindler.
Germany’s top player remained concentrated throughout his triumph against Burton, adding: “I was aware of the fact that he’s not a player to be underestimated. I was punished straight away in the second set when I missed a couple of chances and he went bang, bang, bang straight through it. But in the end I think I played well and I need to carry on with that.”
Schindler endured the predictable jeers from the English supporters, though he also received encouragement from the substantial German following that had made the journey to the capital.
“I have to say, for a couple of years now, every time there’s a walk-on I get booed,” Schindler said. People are always going to boo me when there’s a walk-on. I can only assume there were 200, 300, maybe 400 or 500 people from Germany here and they made it feel a bit like a European Tour event for me. It was a good experience,” he added.
