DARTS fans spotted the moment that Joe Cullen seemed to mouth towards opponent Mensur Suljovic before his eventual loss.
The English thrower took a one-set lead over the Austrian in their clash, but quickly grew frustrated over Suljovic’s mind games.
Joe Cullen was spotted mouthing behind Mensur Suljovic’s back before his eventual defeatCredit: Sky Sports
Cullen was distraught after letting his lead slip before losing the matchCredit: X @SkySportsDarts
The world No60 slowed his pace of play down greatly to get in Cullen’s head and disrupt his rhythm, with cameras catching the moment that the hijinks became too much for him to stomach.
Suljovic had battled to two straight set victories and, at two legs apiece, was on the verge of victory as he prepared to try and close out the match.
But Cullen took issue with the amount of time he spent preparing his , and could be seen behind the 53-year-old mouthing “hurry up.”
Eagle-eyed fans who spotted the gesture were split on whether to feel sympathetic to Cullen.
One fan said matter-of-factly: “That’s what Suljovic has been doing for years.”
Another shared Cullen’s frustrations, saying: “The reason no one wants to watch Suljovic, he’s the same every match goes out of his way to put the other players off.”
But a third fan was less pleased with the world No32’s attitude, commenting: “Played darts for years, and you should always play your game and ignore the opponents antics, if you don’t you are f***ed.
“Joe has enough experience to deal with it, sounds like a sore loser.”
Cullen was no more receptive of his opponent’s mind games after Suljovic wrapped the match up for a 3-1 win.
The Bradford native was , and gave Suljovic a death stare as he left the stage.
Cullen then accused Suljovic of cheating via social mediaCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
He then uploaded some incediary comments to his X account saying: “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.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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