Ronaldo cries foul over ban

MADRID (AP):

Cristiano Ronaldo has bitterly criticised his five-game suspension for pushing a referee who had sent him off, describing the ban as "persecution."

Ronaldo wrote on his Instagram account yesterday that "it is impossible to remain silent in this situation, 5 games!! It seems exaggerated and ridiculous to me, this is called persecution!"

Ronaldo's outburst came after the Spanish football federation ratified his suspension, which was announced on Monday.

The Real Madrid forward missed the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona yesterday where his side won 2-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.

He will also miss the first four matches of the Spanish league, which Madrid opens on Sunday at Deportivo La Coruna.

Ronaldo was suspended for one match after being sent off during Sunday's first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. Spanish media reports said Madrid appealed his second yellow card, when the Portugal forward was booked for diving.

He was given an additional four-match ban for shoving the referee in the back after he was shown the red card.