Scottish Premiership

A former Scottish Premiership star has been involved in a shocking incident while playing for his new club.The dramatic scenes saw the defender PUNCH an opponent, who he alleges racially abused him.
Luiyi De Lucas was a Livingston player until last monthCredit: Kenny Ramsay
De Lucas was at the centre of a shocking incident in Cyprus
The defender punched opponent Eliel Peretz
The defender was visibly furious with the opponent as he swung a kick
De Lucas had to be held back and now he’s alleged why
Apollon Limassol and AEL Limassol went head-to-head in the Cypriot Cup quarter-finals.
Former France star Mathieu Valbuena’s 41st minute effort looked to have won it for Apollon before all kinds of added time drama.
A Pedro Marques penalty in the 90th minute made it 2-0 before an AEL penalty made it 2-1 in the 94th minute.
Marques struck again instantly after and that looked to be that.

But horrific scenes then arrived right at the final whistle.
And former Livingston defender Luiyi De Lucas was one of the players at the centre of the incident.
Having made 22 Premiership appearances, De Lucas left Livi last month after a year in Scottish football.
Citing homesickness, the 29-year old who’s from Dominican Republic moved to Cyprus to join AEL.
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The centre-back was involved in the ugly scenes at the end of this rivalry clash, with pictures captioning the chaotic moment.
Moments after the referee blows for full-time, Apollon’s Eliel Peretz can be seen saying something to De Lucas.
The two players then walk towards each other before De Lucas dramatically swings and lands a huge PUNCH to Peretz’s face.
De Lucas then swings a kick at Peretz, who moves away as other players rush to the scene.
Teammates can then be seen holding a visibly furious De Lucas back from getting at Peretz any further.
Peretz can then be seen approaching once more, and further words between the players are exchanged.
The referee showed a red card to both players.
It was unclear at the time what had exactly happened, but it was seemingly clear that the former Livingston man was left incensed by something that had been said to him.
De Lucas, today, has broken his silence on the matter and alleges that he was racially abused by his opponent.
And he says he has now informed the police about the matter.
The defender issued an apology for what he described as his own “reckless behaviour.”
But De Lucas says his actions came about after he was allegedly subject to “constant repeated insults of deeply racist and personal nature.”
In a lengthy statement posted to X, he said: “With this statement I want to address all the fans of Cyprus, the friends of AEL, the Football Association and all the competent authorities.
“I express my sincere apology and regret for the incident after the cup match. My actions were unacceptable and unprofessional and I want to apologise firstly to my fellow footballer, but also to everyone for my reckless behaviour.
“In my professional career I have never had such an incident before. In all the teams I have played for, my behaviuor on and off the field was completely professional and I never had a confrontation with either another colleague or a teammate.
“In no way do I justify my actions. Unfortunately my mind was clouded by the unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour of the opposing player from the moment he entered the game.
“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.
“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.
“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 prior to my actions.
“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 behaviour against me to the Competent Authorities of KOP, Uefa and Fifa.
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“I want to apologise again to everyone for my behaviour and emphasise that my actions have no place in this sport. Moving forward, I am solely focused on supporting my team and my club.”

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JOHN HARTSON was stunned by Celtic’s lack of heart in their weekend loss to Kilmarnock.And one player amongst Brendan Rodgers’ stuttering squad got it tighter than all the rest.
John Hartson is not happy with the state of affairs at his old teamCredit: The Sun
Since dropping two points to Derek McInnes’ men on Saturday, the Hoops have dropped behind Rangers in the Scottish Premiership table and the natives are more restless than ever.
Fans bellowed out derogatory, expletive-laden chants aimed at Peter Lawwell come full-time at Parkhead, and Rodgers hadn’t escaped criticism either.
The players themselves have been called out by supporters and pundits alike.
Former Celtic frontman Hartson branded Alexandro Bernabei a DISGRACE following his performance in the 1-1 draw against Killie.

In particular for his defending (or lack thereof) for Davie Watson’s equalising goal.
The left-back misjudged the flight of the ball and failed to keep track of supersub Watson who ghosted in at the back post to nod home in stoppage time.
Bernabei cried for a foul but Watson used his arm cleverly rather than unfairly to get on the end of Fraser Murray’s cross.
The Welshman vented his anger live on the Go Radio Football Show, ripping into the Argentine defender in no uncertain terms.
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An incredulous Hartson said: “At that goal, Bernabei is a disgrace. He’s a DISGRACE there.
“He doesn’t even challenge Davie Watson at the goal.
Celtic fans turn on boss Brendan Rodgers and chant against chairman Peter Lawwell at end of Kilmarnock draw
“If you’re a left-back in that position, last minute, you are giving everything to stop a goal. 
“That could cost Celtic the title!”
“It’s got to mean something, you’ve got to defend that goal with your life!”
He then gestured to co-pundit Craig Moore and added “like people like him did!”
Hartson accused some of the Hoops squad of taking it easy, and echoed recent sentiments that certain players wouldn’t get a game for Kilmarnock.
He said: “Yes, Kilmarnock are doing well but you can’t let them get three results against you and still expect to win the league.
“Some Celtic players wouldn’t play for Kilmarnock. They’re coasting, happy to be Celtic players and wouldn’t play for other teams in Scotland.
“Brendan Rodgers has been missing some first team players. Cameron Carter-Vickers is out. Reo Hatate is out. But some of the players who have come into replace them, they are showing that they’re just not quite at the level.
“They should be ready to go in and give Brendan Rodgers a headache.”
Celts skipper Callum McGregor admitted after the match that the squad’s bottle was now right to be questioned.
He said: “Mentality is so key when you play for big clubs. You need to be mentally strong and be together. You need to do the basics of the game together.
“If you do that you give yourself a chance.
“If you don’t do that, it becomes individuals running about trying to do their own thing.
“We have 12 games to solve it. The players must be aware that there’s a certain standard required on the pitch.
“You turn up and something happens out of the blue where you think, ‘Where did that come from?’. That’s telling me that there’s something missing right now.
“I’ll find the answer to that, I’m sure of it.
“I will leave nothing unturned until I find the answer to that question.
“We’ve been in this position too many times this year.
“But it’s all about doing the basics right.
“When you don’t do that then the question gets asked about bottle and nerve.
“The game should be 2-0, and it should be done by half-time or by 65 minutes.
“No one’s questioning your bottle at that point, you’re doing the basics, you’re doing what the team’s asked you to do.
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“Maybe we do now have a question to answer about bottle, about nerve and about everything else.”
Alexandro Bernabei struggled against Kilmarnock at the weekendCredit: SNS
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NEIL WARNOCK slammed the Rangers ball boys for time-wasting after his first game in charge of Aberdeen ended in a 2-1 defeat.The legendary manager, 75, was appointed head coach of The Dons on Monday and was tasked with heading to Ibrox just 24 hours later.
Neil Warnock criticised the Rangers ball boys after losing his first game in charge of AberdeenCredit: Alamy
Todd Cantwell scored the winner for the home side at IbroxCredit: PA
Despite just one win in six league games coming into the match, the visitors pushed Philippe Clement’s side all the way.
After Rabbi Matonda put Rangers in front early on, Aberdeen levelled on the stroke of half-time through Bojan Miovski.
But ex-Norwich man Todd Cantwell fired Rangers back in front with 17 minutes remaining, before they held on to clinch a narrow win despite Dujon Sterling being dismissed in the closing stages.
After the match, Warnock took aim at the behaviour of the ball boys as he vented his frustrations.
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He said: “At the end there, you’ve got the ball boys adding five minutes on.
“They were really tuned in weren’t they, not giving them the ball back, make them climb over the wall.
“Do they have their own teachers?”
In his post-match press conference, he also accused them of “hiding” the balls “under their jumpers”.
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During the game, Warnock was embroiled in a heated exchange with the fourth official.
He then confirmed the topic of conversation to the BBC, saying: “I just telling him how the Rangers lads were getting away with murder.”
Aberdeen manager Neil Warnock declares ‘I’m a Rangers man’ but reveals which Scottish team he really supports
However, he did compliment the referee for sticking with his decision to send Sterling off for a late tackle, despite the VAR sending him over to the monitor to review the challenge.
Warnock added: “It makes a change doesn’t it for a referee to be brave and stick with his decision? We don’t get that in England.”
The result sees Aberdeen drop to ninth in the Scottish Premiership table, but they are still just one point adrift of the top six.
Meanwhile, Rangers have now won five league games on the bounce to move level on points with Celtic at the top. More

NOT all footballers take a conventional route into a new career when their playing days are over.And that’s certainly the case for one former Rangers and Hearts ace.
The former goalkeeper catches HUGE fish in his spare timeCredit: INSTAGRAM
But he’s also in a rock bandCredit: INSTAGRAM
He even has a business ventureCredit: X
He was signed by Walter Smith at Rangers
Having been one of Scottish football’s top stars in the late 1990s and early 2000s, this former international star’s life is rather different these days.
Antti Niemi spent five years of his career in Scottish football.
Snapped up in 1997 by Walter Smith, Finland goalkeeper Niemi was brought in to compete with long time first choice Andy Goram and Theo Snelders for the No.1 shirt.
After Rangers failed in their quest for 10-in-a-row, there was huge upheaval in the summer of 1998 when Dick Advocaat arrived as boss.

Niemi and Lionel Charbonnier were the two goalkeepers competing to play, but that all changed when Champions League winner Stefan Klos arrived in December 1998.
The German would go on to be Rangers No.1 for much of the next decade.
That meant Niemi, who made just 13 league appearances for the Light Blues, moved on.
But he stayed in Scotland and was between the sticks for Hearts between 1999 and 2002, making over 100 appearances for the Jambos.
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One of the top keepers in the Scottish game, Niemi earned a switch to the English Premier League with Southampton, and would later move to Fulham and Portsmouth before retiring in 2010.
Capped 67 times by Finland, Niemi has stayed in the game with punditry work, covering the Premier League and international matches.
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But outside of football, he’s a man of many different talents!
Now aged 50, Niemi is a huge fan of fishing.
The former goalie regularly posts snaps to his Instagram showcasing his incredible catches.
The waters in and around of Helsinki are prime fishing hotspots and Niemi can be seen regularly fishing for huge pike in the lakes.
When he’s not on the water, you might find Niemi performing with a ROCK BAND.
A keen guitarist, Niemi has been seen playing with band Alkamaton.
Playing bass, synths and acoustic guitar, Niemi and his band have performed up and down Finland.
Before that, Niemi also formed a three-piece rock band with the Finland national team’s doctor and physio called ‘The Staff’.
They covered classic 70s and 80s rock tracks, with Niemi on guitar.
Speaking about his music career, Niemi said: “I had always said I wanted to surprise people, even if it was just once in my lifetime, by stepping on stage at a friend’s birthday or wedding to perform one rock song.
“It didn’t matter what it was, I just wanted to learn one song. One song became another and another and before I knew it, I had a band.”
You might thing punditry, fishing and being a musician would be enough to keep Niemi busy.
But – you’d be wrong!
That’s because he also ventured into selling BEETROOT juice.
First launching a few years ago, Niemi is still involved today, helping run Nitrate Beet.
Niemi was a founding partner of the business that produces beetroot based energy drinks.
Launching in 2020, the specially designed drinks for athletes had been years in the making.
Niemi explained: “The idea came from Patrik Borg. He’s a top-notch nutritionist in London but I’ve known him since we played together for the Finland under-16s national team.
“A couple of years ago, we spoke on the phone because he’d just visited one of the top clubs in Spain and saw that their players were drinking beetroot shots before the game.
“He explained about the unique nitrates in beetroot and how they work in the body and I’d never heard of any of this.
“But when I studied it, I realised it’s a regular thing in the Premier League in England, Spain and Germany. It’s especially popular in endurance sports like triathlon and marathons and that sort of stuff.
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“Most people can’t guess that it’s beetroot. They always describe it as a sweeter liquorice taste.”
The former keeper is big into his fishingCredit: INSTAGRAM
Niemi plays guitarCredit: INSTAGRAM
Niemi competed to be Gers No.1 under Dick Advocaat
Niemi played more than 100 times for Hearts
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