He stepped back and reached into his pocket. He waited a good second and a half before pulling that card out, meanwhile the player kept walking towards him with the phone outstretched. The referee had to keep moving back away from him. Only then did he pull the card out.

Now you're just lying. I gave a screenshot of the very moment the ref backs away and reaches for his card. The player is further away before this screenshot and the decision to card him has been made after this screenshot.

The rulebook is the rulebook, and it clearly bans dissent.

Really. That's why we see refs send off players every single game when they bark back in dissent right? Oh wait, no that doesn't happen. It's almost like refs have great latitude on how they enforce those rules.

But to claim, at all, that a referee properly carding a cardable offense is covering for his "bruised ego" is absolutely ludicrous.

It's not ludicrous to call reality for what it is. No, the ref is not forced to card him here.

The fact you can't realize that says a lot about you.

More fucking baseless insults. The fact you can't get any other view through your skull to the point you lie about what happened says a lot about you.

You know what would be making it about him? Arguing with the player and making a scene.

That's not a logical view.