Everton, Frank Lampard and Bill Kenwright did not need an apology from Mike Riley, they needed an explanation.
Football fans needed an explanation.
How could Chris Kavanagh get it so wrong?
Apologies in football are pointless. Literally, for Everton, on this occasion.
If you start with the assumption that no-one - not players, not referees, not managers - intends to mess up, then there is no point in saying sorry.
And, of course, who owes who an apology?
As soon as it emerged Riley had made a call to Lampard and Kenwright, social media was buzzing with supporters wondering why THEIR club had not been receiving apologies for various refereeing ricks.
And while we are at it, how many managers apologise to referees when their players try to con officials?
None. If they did, it would be a 24-7 operation.
Because they spend so much time play-acting, it is extremely hard to have sympathy for players when a decision goes against them.
Biters get bitten, tough luck.
But that still cannot excuse the rank incompetence that led to Everton being denied a late penalty and the chance to earn a point from Saturday’s game against Manchester City.
How did it happen? Why did Kavanagh not see an offence that would have at least given him cause to tell on-field referee Paul Tierney to go to the pitchside monitor?
What was the thinking?
In general, the idea that referees should have to verbally run through key moments after a game is badly flawed. Normally, that would only create more arguments, more confusion.
But on this occasion, the reasoning - if there was any - behind the decisions from Tierney and Kavanagh might have salvaged some credibility for Riley and his refs.
Because Everton, Lampard and Kenwright did not need an apology, they needed an explanation.
