Nadir Ciftci cleared to face Celtic after violent conduct charge ‘not proven’

Dundee United have received a massive boost ahead of their Scottish Cup clash against Celtic with the news that Nadir Ciftci is free to play.

Ciftci was issued with a notice of complaint by the SFA for alleged violent conduct during the February 24 Premiership match against Inverness Caley Thistle at Tannadice.

However, the Tangerines moved quickly to say they would not be accepting the offer of a two-game ban for their player so the matter instead went to a hearing at Hampden today.

The outcome was a great result for United, with the disciplinary panel concluding that the case – a supposed breach of disciplinary rule 200 – was found to be not proven.

That means the Turkish frontman is free to face Celtic in Sunday’s quarter-final, although he will still miss the League Cup final against the Hoops at the national stadium the following weekend as he is banned for collecting two bookings during that competition.