The men who decided England manager Sam Allardyce had to go made the painful decision in an effort to preserve the Football Association's integrity as "guardians of the game".
FA chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn met with Allardyce at Wembley on Tuesday and left the "distraught" 61-year-old in no doubt he had reached the end of a short road with the national side.
Allardyce ultimately agreed to terminate his contract, having been left in an untenable position by a Daily Telegraph sting operation that captured him negotiating lucrative speaking engagements in the Far East as well as making indiscreet and damaging remarks about a range of issues including third-part ownership.
Had Allardyce not agreed, then Clarke and Glenn may have had to sack him.
But neither man took any pleasure from cutting their colleague loose after just one match and 67 days in the job, apparently rubber-stamping his demise through gritted teeth.
Glenn, who led the three-man panel that nominated Allardyce in the summer alongside David Gill and FA technical director Dan Ashworth, told FATV: "It has been a really painful decision because obviously we've only just hired Sam.
"In the light of the media allegations that we've seen, we've concluded - and Sam's agreed - that his behaviour has been inappropriate and, frankly, not what is expected of an England manager. Discussing a range of issues from potential contraventions of FA rules through to personal comments that frankly just don't work when you're the manager of England.
"Sam, we think, is a great fit for England manager and we think could have been extremely successful.
"But the FA's more than just running the England men's team. We have to stand up for the right behaviours across the whole game. We're the guardians of the game, we set the rules.
"We have to be seen to apply those rules consistently and evenly, whether you're the England manager or someone low down in the organisation.
"So that consistency, that trust people have in us to behave in an appropriate manner, is core to what any football association is about and certainly true of the English Football Association.
"Sam is absolutely distraught. He recognises that he made a terrible error of judgement, and I think he recognises as well that, whilst it's a tough decision that the FA are taking, he can see that at least we have a point."
Clarke, who had yet to succeed Greg Dyke when Allardyce was installed, shared similar sentiments.
He explained that Allardyce's departure was not a done deal when he arrived at Wembley but quickly became the only possible outcome once the full details emerged.
"I went into the meeting with an open mind," he said. "The tipping point was the discussion with Sam.
"As a man who has given what he has to English football he deserved a fair hearing, didn't deserve pre-judging.
"We asked Sam how he felt, he said he was foolish and had said some unwise words and he recognised he had compromised his position and when we discussed whether it was recoverable or not we all agreed it wasn't. We jointly agreed he moved on.
''There's no criticism of Sam's performance. I think he did a cracking job as England manager. He really lifted the team and he was doing great work with rebuilding morale and strategy but the reality was that after the revelations of yesterday and today his position was untenable. "I don't think it's embarrassing. I think it's rather sad. I think when you've got a manager who is doing a good job and makes some comments that leads him into a situation where his job is no longer tenable, then that's sad."
On Gareth Southgate's appointment on an interim basis for the next four matches, and the way ahead, Glenn said: " He will take charge of the next four games, from Malta through to the friendly against Spain.
"We're in good hands. J ob one is secure the England team, which with Gareth we're doing.
"Job two is then we need to reflect on what lessons needed to be learned from what we've just gone through and how that might approach a new search.
"But I think the criteria and person we're looking for will stay the same.
"The challenge with a very talented group of England players, how do you get the best out of them in tournaments? That's still the job to be done."
Source: PA
