"Unacceptable": Suljovic apologizes for controversial interview

From a sporting perspective, the Swiss Darts Trophy was a success for Mensur Suljovic.

However, with his behavior on stage and an interview after the round of 16, Austria's number one in darts did not win over everyone.

While his opponent Ross Smith was throwing, he repeatedly egged on the crowd. Even during the Englishman's match darts, Suljovic urged fans to get louder. Consequently, they even booed.

"Emotions really got to me"

Afterwards, the Viennese said during an on-stage interview: "What's the guy complaining about?! He should play his game, otherwise he can go straight home. Women complain, sorry… You don't do that when you lose."

Suljovic after incident in Basel: "Then he can go home"

Via "Instagram", Suljovic commented on the incident on Monday. "The emotions really got to me in that moment," he wrote at the outset.

The 54-year-old "didn't properly realize" that Smith had match darts. "In retrospect, I understand that the timing was unfortunate and was perceived as unfair. For that, I would like to apologize to Ross."

He sees Smith as one of the best darts players in the world. "And I have great respect for him and his performance."

"I should never have said that"

"Also my statement in the interview about women was completely inappropriate," Suljovic admits: "I should never have said that. For that, I want to explicitly apologize to all women."

The Austrian concludes the statement as follows: "Darts thrives on emotions - but fairness and respect are just as much a part of it. Yesterday, emotions got the better of me."

In the end, Suljovic was eliminated in the semi-finals by Luke Humphries.