Soccer Player Attacks Female Ref Over Yellow Card ... Arrested

Horrifying scene at a soccer game in Argentina this weekend -- when a male player absolutely lost it and attacked a female referee after being handed a yellow card.

It all went down during a third division match between Garmense and Independencia of the Tres Arroyos Regional League ... when player Cristian Tirone unleashed on official Dalma Cortadi while her back was turned.

In video of the incident, you can see several players try to stop the attack ... but to no avail.

Cortadi fell to the ground after the hit ... but was eventually able to get back to her feet. She was later taken to a hospital, but luckily, she didn't suffer any serious injuries.

Tirone was immediately taken off the field…