Kim Huybrechts has hit out at World Darts Championship organisers days before the main event of the season kicks off, claiming it’s ‘outrageous’ that a player must take to the oche twice on the opening night.
The Hurricane has blasted the tradition, which sees the winner of the tournament’s opening match face the reigning champion later in the night, as unfair.
On Sunday, the excitement in north London will be rife when France’s Thibault Tricole faces Joe Comito of Australia to launch the Alexandra Palace action.
The winner of the clash will return to the illustrious stage hours later to meet last year’s champion and world No. 1, Luke Humphries, in the evening session.
Huybrechts kicks off his campaign on the same night after being pitted against 22-year-old Irishman Keane Barry in the first round.
Should The Hurricane overcome Barry, a glamorous second-round meeting with Gerwyn Price awaits the following day.
But he has taken time to call out Tricole and Comito’s unfortunate placing in the draw during the build-up to the showcase event.
« I think it’s outrageous that they are doing this. Really outrageous, I don’t think that’s acceptable, » Huybrechts told the Double Top podcast.
« It has happened once so far that the reigning world champion was straight out, and that was John Part.
« For the rest, we haven’t even come close to such a shock. Other than Kevin Doets last year against Michael Smith.
« Now we have Tricole against Comito. The latter comes all the way from Australia and maybe he’s going to surprise.
« That one is then going to have a wow feeling, and then they tap his back of, ‘Hey, in an hour you have to throw again.’
« Whereas all the other 94 players have a day or days to let it all sink in. These guys have an hour and a half and then they have to compete against the best darter in the world. »
The Belgian is entering the 14th worlds of his career – and he understandably doesn’t fancy Tricole or Comito’s chances against Humphries.
Huybrechts, 39, has compared the treatment to his homeland football club, Club Brugge, being made to face Liverpool and Manchester City on the same Champions League night.
He added: « That’s like Club Brugge in the Champions League being happy with a point against Manchester City and then having to get right back into it against Liverpool.
« In no other sport do you go through something like that. So again, I don’t see it happening that the world champion will be out soon. Why does it necessarily have to play on the first day? It’s not fair. »
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