Vincent van der Voort lashes out at Co Stompe over Van Gerwen comments: 'You can’t just say something when you don’t know the full story'

Michael van Gerwen had gone to great lengths to keep his personal life out of the public eye following the announcement of his divorce from ex-wife Daphne. Those close to the three-time world champion respected his privacy, staying silent despite interest from the tabloid press. But according to fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort, one man broke that code of silence—darts analyst Co Stompé.

In the latest episode of the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort didn’t hold back in his criticism of Stompé, saying his decision to publicly speculate on Van Gerwen’s situation only made things worse.

“Michael was finally starting to move on from the media storm, and then Co gave that interview,” Van der Voort explained. “Everyone around him had been contacted by journalists and chose to keep quiet. But Co felt the need to speak—despite being miles away from the situation. That’s what makes it so strange.”

The remarks Van der Voort is referring to came during an appearance by Stompé on Dutch TV programme Shownieuws, where the former player-turned-analyst suggested Van Gerwen might “never return to professional darts” following his off-the-board struggles.

For Van Gerwen, the comment hit a nerve. And Van der Voort believes it had real consequences. “Comments like that spark a storm of speculation,” he said. “Michael was really affected. You can’t just say something like that when you don’t know the full story.”

Van der Voort admitted his own relationship with Stompé, who also works with broadcaster Viaplay, is far from perfect—but says the tension between Van Gerwen and Stompé may be even worse.

“I don’t want to drag Co through the mud,” Van der Voort added. “He was asked a question and he had every right to answer. But the problem is that interview brought everything back up again—and it made things bigger and harder for Michael when he was already trying to put it behind him.”