Definitelynotanotherref
SILVER ELITE
I generally agree with what you say. It is definitely a challenge to your authority. You can respond with the card and retain your authority, but I think you can also retain your authority by putting them in their place. If you call them out on their power challenge and challenge them to repeat it, and then they don't, you have essentially exerted your dominance.If a player says that to a ref his intent is not primarily to insult you, but to directly challenge your authority and see if you have the cajones to send him off. He is testing your boundaries. The odds of things getting worse are much greater if you don't issue card, then if you issue a card.
Personally, I think cards should be issued based on the severity of the offense and not based upon the embarrassment the ref might feel on the field from players, coaches and fans or from his peers that read his red card report.
Think about it from the team captain point of view. I knew people who would directly challenge the captain. "Why would I listen to you? Just because you wear a colorful band and you lick the coaches balls?" You have the captains that go, "listen to me because I am the captain" (Using cards) and the captains that just naturally lead their teams and don't really need to band to do it. (Using personality). Both are effective.