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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The shocking scenes broke out after the final whistle when former Livingston center-back Luiyi De Lucas hit out at Apollon's Eliel Peretz.<br /><br />A heated conversation between the pair appeared to be taking place immediately after the final whistle with Peretz seen saying something to Lucas.<br /><br />'In no way do I justify my actions. Unfortunately, my mind was clouded by the unacceptable and unprofessional behavior of the opposing player from the moment he entered the game.<br /><br />'During his game, I received constant repeated insults of a deeply racist and personal nature. I don't want to give basis to words being used against me as I hope to move on.<br /><br />'Never in my professional career have I experienced this level of verbal racism on the field, the frustration and humiliation I was experiencing was clouding my judgement and my mind. My reaction was an extremely poor attempt to stop what was happening to me.<br /><br />'I want to reiterate clearly that there is no excuse for my actions. Being a part of such a fine sport as football that promotes fair play, I feel it is important to provide some clarity as to what I was experiencing before my actions.<br /><br />'I have already filed a complaint with the Cyprus Police with the help of my lawyer and I have already started the process of reporting the racist behavior against me to the Competent Authorities of KOP, Uefa, and Fifa.<br /><br />'I want to apologize again to everyone for my behavior and emphasize that my actions have no place in this sport. Moving forward, I am solely focused on supporting my team and my club.'
