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Brown slams Dundee United's Connolly and Ciftci
By Craig Turnbull

Celtic captain Scott Brown is adamant he was kicked in the head by Nadir Ciftci and Aidan Connolly blatantly dived to win a penalty.

And Brown believes video technology must be introduced to help referees after the furore surrounding the events at Tannadice on Sunday.

Three reds cards, two penalties and a case of mistaken identity formed part of an action-packed and hugely entertaining Scottish Cup quarter-final between Celtic and Dundee United.

The match sparked into life when Brown slid into Ciftci – the Turk reacted before Virgil van Dijk and Calum Butcher collided moments later.

After conferring with his linesman Graham Chambers, referee Craig Thomson sent off Van Dijk and Paton but it was Butcher who was involved.

Brown says video evidence should be used to help officials make the correct decisions.

“I think yesterday would have been ideal for it. We stopped the game for four or five minutes and it was the wrong decision that Paton got sent off.

“If we had watched that back we would have clearly seen who it was.

“It wouldn’t stop it every two minutes, we need it introduced for big decisions like that.”

Dundee United boss Jackie McNamara felt Brown’s initial tackle was the catalyst for the carnage that ensued but Brown insists it was a good challenge.

“I think it was a great tackle. The referee is five yards away and he had no problem with it.

“The linesman was 10 yards away and two of them had great views and you can clearly see on television that I have won the ball.”

He added: “I was kicked in the head [by Ciftci]. You can blatantly see that. We will see what happens with that.

“At the time I didn’t know who it was. I felt a boot against my face. There was so much going on at the time, I didn’t know who it was until I watched it again afterwards.

“Everything happened that quick. There were tackles going in and there were people rolling about the ground with each other.”

United took the lead through Cifti’s spot kick after Connolly tumbled in the box under pressure from Anthony Stokes.

But Brown claims the youngster dived, he said: “It was a blatant dive.

“Should he be punished? “It’s not up to me.

“I was close by and Anthony and Nir as well. Anthony put his leg in and pulled it away and you can see that he has pulled his leg away before the lad has gone down. He played it really well. I will give him that.

“We have had a player [Derk Boerrigter] who did that at St Johnstone and he got a two-match ban so I think it was dealt with rightly.

“You don’t want to see people cheating whether it helps you or not. It is not a nice part of the game.”