HEARTS captain Christophe Berra has told Scott Brown that he lacks class and says he would never behave the way the Celtic skipper did after the final whistle in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.
As soon as the match ended, victorious captain Brown confronted Hearts striker Uche Ikpeazu, laughing in his face after Celtic had come from behind to complete the final part of their quest for an unprecedented treble Treble.
Berra was disappointed in the actions of his Celtic counterpart and says that not only was his conduct unbefitting of his position, but that you would never see such behaviour from players at the top level.
“Scott is a good player, but he is using his dominance in the league a wee bit and there is a wee bit of cockiness,” Berra said.
“They (Celtic) have earned it but sometimes you should just show a bit of respect and get on with it.
“Scott is getting a bad name for himself at some points. It is not classy, and you don’t see that happening at the top level at clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool who dominate down there. They have a bit of class about them.
“He (Scott) has had it all his own way for a long time and all credit to him, he is a good player and the team have done well, but sometimes you can be a bit more classy and a sportsman.”
Berra said he would have shaken Brown’s hand after the match to congratulate him and his team on their historic triumph, but never got the chance to because his opponent was too busy confronting Ikpeazu.
But he wasn’t surprised to see that Brown got involved with an opponent rather than simply celebrating with his own supporters, as he sees it as a pattern of behaviour from his former Scotland teammate.
“No, actually I never [shook his hand] because I didn’t know what was happening between him and Uche,” he said.
“It is typical and has gone on a lot this season. It is not for me, I wouldn’t be like that, but everyone is different. He is using his position to his advantage.
“You don’t see it happening in other leagues because you should show a bit of respect and get on with it.”
Berra is hoping that this Hearts side can recover and come back to try and overcome the odds by beating Celtic to silverware next term, but he knows they are up against it when you factor in the financial advantages that the champions enjoy over their rivals.
He believes that the Celtic players feel emboldened to behave the way Brown did because of their domestic dominance, but he cautioned the Celtic midfielder about taking on the hulking Ikpeazu again.
“There would only be one winner!” Berra said.
“It is okay doing it when things are going well. They have been used to having things their own way.
“They have a bigger budget than everyone else, pay more money and so it is normal they are more successful, but what can you do?”
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