The referee who sent off Cristiano Ronaldo in Sunday's draw between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid has been suspended for a month, according to the Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.

It has reported that Spain's refereeing technical committee has dropped Miguel Ángel Ayza Gámez for a month in the wake of his performance when he showed a straight red card to Ronaldo.

The station also says that Ayza Gámez will not be appointed to any further Real Madrid matches this season and is in danger of being relegated from the list of Liga match officials.

The decision is a boost to Madrid's hopes of seeing Ronaldo's three-match ban overturned or reduced by the Spanish Football Federation's appeals committee, which convenes on Friday.

Ronaldo was sent off for reacting to a shove by Carlos Gurpegi and then got involved in a confrontation with Ander Iturraspe in the 75th minute as Bilbao fought back for a 1-1 draw.

The two dropped points left Real three points behind Atlético Madrid and level with Barcelona.