Does the ref also have the option to send off at a later time?
Ie - did he think that with all us lot there and a bit of handbags going on, the best way was to get the players off the pitch before dishing out the punishment?
I mean all we'd have done is heckle but he may have viewed it as a flashpoint.
If the red card is for foul play the referee is not permitted to restart the match before the card is shown. It is not a foul if the match has ended.
The referee has the power to caution from the moment he enters the field of play, until the moment he leaves the field of play - Law 12.
If the situation has been brought to the referees attention by one of his assistants/4th official after the match has ended, and the player has left the field after the end of the match and the referee feels it is not safe to take action, he would not issue a red card but record the incident in his report for the appropriate FA to take action. I am a qualified referee and as I understand the rules, players have to be notified of cards. A player can dispute any caution when he has not been notified by the referee.