Van Barneveld qualified for the World Grand Prix: the Dutchman criticized the selection system.

According to The Sun: Vincent van der Voort criticized the 'imperfect' qualification system for the World Grand Prix, as Raymond van Barneveld managed to keep his place in the tournament.

The five-time world champion van Barneveld has only reached two quarter-finals on the ProTour this year, despite participating in 38 tournaments.

Van Barneveld has not shown consistently good form, but made it to the tournament thanks to his ranking Getty

Ultimately, 'Barney' qualified in Leicester in 15th place in the World Grand Prix ProTour rankings with a total of £75,000, only £1,500 above 17th place.

Former professional van der Voort believes that his compatriot qualified for the tournament more because of his ranking than the results of recent competitions.

“If you look at how Raymond qualified, it probably happened due to just two quarter-finals.”

“There are players who performed significantly better but did not qualify, simply because they were not high enough in the ProTour rankings.”

“I’m happy for Raymond, but the system is completely imperfect.”

“Something needs to change. The players' association needs to intervene, as it is just wrong.”

Van Barneveld, who is ranked 34th in the world, reached the quarter-finals of the Swiss Darts Cup last week but lost to Steven Basting.

Van der Voort believes that van Barneveld had an advantage due to a favorable draw and some luck in Basel.

“He played against someone in the first round who wasn't particularly strong. That makes a big difference.”

“Heta had a chance to finish the match, but Raymond managed to win.”

“Then Ross Smith dropped out, so he got a chance to play against Ritchie Edhouse. Sometimes luck is just on your side.”

The 'Dutch Destroyer' also noted that the 58-year-old player struggles to maintain good form over the weekends on the Euro Tour and warned that his preparation could be a reason for failures.

“I told him that he needs to increase the pace of his game, use shorter shafts, and secure everything.”

“But maintaining this is difficult, especially at his age. When your performance drops, it starts to feel like you are just struggling.”

“He still has a lot of talent, so it's acceptable – but not as sharp as it needs to be.”

“He has always been someone who warms up for a very long time – sometimes even three hours before a match.”

“But with age and loss of energy, you need to distribute your strength better.”

“Maybe he should practice less in the warm-up and save his energy for the match itself. But that's a hard habit when you've been doing it your whole career.”

In the world of darts, discussions about the qualification system for prestigious tournaments always attract attention, as it affects players' careers. Van der Voort's criticism highlights the inequality in the chances that athletes have and the importance of not only rankings but also actual achievements on the playing field. His opinion may provoke thoughts about possible changes in the system to provide greater fairness in competitive play.