"You'd have to point that out to me, someone saying that about cynical fouling. I don't think I ever used that language.

"Whatever he needs to put up on the wall... you know I could talk about different things, about what a Donegal player said to me after the game.

"That's childish and Jim should know better."

McGuinness took the opportunity after the game to hit back at claims that his Donegal team are guilty of cynical fouling.

McGuinness was angered by a newspaper report which was published before Saturday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final between the two counties at Croke Park.

In the article, Kildare selector Niall Carew was quoted as saying: "It's all going to come down to the interpretation of the referee. If he lets Donegal continue with the cynical fouling of the opposition half-back line in particular, then yes, they will be hard to break down.

"If he punishes them and hands out yellow cards when they are merited, then we'll have a chance.

"We're well able to move the ball quickly but if Donegal get away with the professional fouls, it will obviously be hard to do that."

Following his side's epic 1-12 to 0-14 extra-time victory, McGuinness criticised Carew's attempt to gain the psychological edge and influence the referee for Saturday's match, David Coldrick.

"We got phone calls from some of the national newspapers to say that Kildare rang them in relation to the referee and Donegal's cynical fouling," he said in a post-match interview broadcast on RTÉ's 'The Sunday Game'.

"That article appeared in a lot of papers and it's very disappointing. I mentioned before the National League that referees are under phenomenal pressure.

"Kieran McGeeney was a phenomenal player. He didn't cry, he didn’t whinge and we weren't very impressed by that as a group to read that and to see that.

"We're happy that the referee didn't take the bait. The article was based on cynical fouling. Anybody who watched the match in relation to Kildare players in the last period of extra-time would say there was a lot of cynical fouling.

"My point of view is that the referee has a tough job. We all know he has a tough job to do.

"But the place to do your business is on the coaching field. Do your business there, try and beat the opposition there, not in the media."

The evidence in extra-time goes against what Carew said. It was Kildare who were picked up by the referee for a number of 'professional' fouls.

The Lilywhites' Daryl Flynn (two minutes), Alan Smith (8), Eamonn Callaghan (9), John Doyle (14) and Brian Flanagan (17) were all yellow carded during extra-time, whereas Donegal received no cards during the two added periods.