A former Scottish Premiership player has spoken out after punching an opponent in the face at the end of a game in response to suffering alleged racist abuse.
The defender - who played in the Scottish top-tier until last month - was involved in the shocking incident when he walked up to an opposition player and threw the punch.
A derby clash between Apollon Limassol and AEL Limassol in the Cypriot Cup quarter-finals looked set for a regulatory ending before three goals in stoppage time sparked violence.
The shocking scenes broke out after the final whistle when former Livingston centre-back Luiyi De Lucas hit out at Apollon's Eliel Peretz.
A heated conversation between the pair appeared to be taking place immediately after the final whistle with Peretz seen saying something to Lucas.
The exchange turned physical when De Lucas walked up to Peretz and threw a right-handed punch into the side of his rival's face who briefly staggered.
A follow-up kick was attempted by 29-year-old Lucas - who previously admitted he was leaving Scotland in January because he was 'homesick' - but missed as other players mobbed the duo.
De Lucas had to be held back as he tried to break free of his team-mates grips while he attempted to get at Peretz who was similarly being restrained during the confrontation.
Both were subsequently sent off by the referee after being shown straight red cards as a result of the confrontation.
De Lucas has since issued a public apology but claims he was subjected to 'repeated insults of deeply racist and personal nature' by Peretz throughout the match.
Posting on his X account, the Dominican Republic-born player, stated: 'With this statement I want to address all the fans of Cyprus, the friends of AEL, the Football
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