Everton manager Frank Lampard hopes to have Allan’s red card rescinded but what he does not want is another apology from referees’ chief Mike Riley.
It is only just over two weeks since Riley called Lampard and chairman Bill Kenwright to admit mistakes were made when VAR official Chris Kavanagh failed to advise referee Paul Tierney over a handball by Rodri which would have given the Toffees the chance of a late penalty equaliser against Manchester City.
Allan was sent off in the dramatic late win over Newcastle on Thursday night after Craig Pawson was advised to view the monitor and subsequently upgraded his yellow card to a red for the Brazilian’s tackle on Allan Saint-Maximin.
Everton have lodged an appeal against that decision and even if it is unsuccessful they will then appeal against the severity of the three-match ban.
“It’s hard to say how hopeful we are,” said Lampard on the appeal.
“We had a really bad decision against us which we had an apology for but apologies don’t mean points.
“There was nothing from that other than a ‘Thanks very much’. This one there is no need for an apology.
“It wasn’t a decision that should have been changed to a red card. It was very clear from my end.
“In the cold light of day that is not a red card and we don’t want to lose Allan for three games and now we are in their (an independent disciplinary panel) hands.
“With hindsight look at the decision and was it enough to warrant a red card? For me it wasn’t.”
Lampard accepts mistakes will be made but struggles to understand the lack of consistency in the application of video technology.
And while he does not want another apology he would welcome further dialogue with Riley.
“There are question marks over VAR. I understand the human side and I don’t want to bang the drum about that,” added the Toffees boss, who takes his side to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.
“I don’t think the conversation with Mike Riley is pointless, as long as the process gets better.
“There will be faults in it because we are human. I make mistakes as a manager, the players make mistakes, this is the world we live in and we don’t want to get rid of the system but it is the consistency.
“I’m very happy to have those conversations. We have to have them to move forward.”
