Cahill, who was preparing to enter the pitch as a late sub, took issue with the decision to let Manny Muscat's 86th minute own goal winner stand.

In the resulting pandemonium, Chris Beath showed the 37-year-old a straight red before the Socceroo legend had even crossed the white line.

Victory won the derby 2-1 and Fox Sports pundit Mark Bosnich said Cahill revealed post-match exactly what he said to earn the ire of Beath.

“I’ve spoken to him (Cahill), to be fair to him, he told me and he said I could say it straight,” Bosnich told Fox Sports.

“He was red-carded by the referee (because) he told the referee to ‘have a look at the big screen’ and that ‘you’re a effing disgrace’ ... He said nothing more, nothing less.”

Cahill, whose arrival at City was seen as a public relations coup for the A-League, took to social media on Monday to mend some bridges.

“I want to address what happened in the derby on Saturday night,” he wrote. "I sincerely apologise to Chris Beath for my reaction. 

"My behaviour also hurt the game so I also apologise to my team, to Melbourne Victory and to all the fans at the game and watching at home.

"Regardless of whatever happens on the pitch, I have to respect the game and the officials.

"I want the game to grow in Australia and I want to do all I can to help that happen. No matter the situation, I have to set an example and be accountable for my words and actions.

"My job now is to focus totally on football and winning as many games as possible." 

The Match Review Panel ruled Cahill had ‘used offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures against a match official' and proposed the mandatory one match ban.

In December, Cahill criticised fans for verbally abusing players during a match between City and Sydney FC, saying he had texted his family during half-time asking them to leave ANZ Stadium to avoid hecklers.