You refs out there might enjoy Ian Plenderleith's recounting of a ref's chaning his decision. In case the the link doesn't work, its on the DC United website, DCUnited.com. http://dcunited.com/index.cfm?section=main&cont_id=205919
True, pro players know and understand Law 5. However, they also know and understand Law 12. Screaming and arguing with a referee is at the minimum a cautionable offense and, depending on what was said, a possible send-off. Referees at all levels simply shouldn't put up with this kind of behavior. In the example at the url provided, yellow cards should have been flying and the referee should not have allowed players to change his mind. Bad behavior on part of this referee.
As neither of us, theoretically, were there, how are we able to determine if the ref should have been giving out cards based solely on the writer's diatribe? Is this not akin to judging the ref w/o all the facts? The official on the spot must make the call, and has a limited time to change that decision. If we will trust the official with the initial call, why not the re-thought one? regards.
Ok. If the facts were as described, and if the referee allowed a group of players to yell and scream at him, and if said yelling and screaming influenced him to change his mind, he did a bad job. Does that make you any happier? And oh yeah, if said players were yelling at screaming at him, yellows should have been flying.