Cristiano Ronaldo has called his five-match ban “exaggerated and ridiculous” and claims he is being persecuted after failing to have the sanction overturned on appeal.

During Sunday night’s Spanish Super Cup 3-1 first-leg victory over Barcelona, in which he had scored, the Real Madrid forward reacted badly after being shown a second yellow for diving by the referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, which earned him a one match ban. Ronaldo shoved the official in the back, adding four matches to the ban.

A Spanish football federation (RFEF) committee has now dismissed an appeal, meaning Ronaldo will miss Wednesday evening’s Supercopa return leg against Barça and will be absent for the upcoming La Liga games against Deportivo La Coruña, Valencia, Levante and Real Sociedad.

Ronaldo reacted angrily on social media, writing in an Instagram post on his official page: “It’s impossible to stay quiet in this situation, five matches! To me it seems exaggerated and ridiculous, this is what you call persecution! Thanks to my team-mates and to the fans for the support.”

Impossível ficar imune a esta situação, 5 jogos!! Parece-me exagerado e ridículo, isto chama-se perseguição! Obrigado aos meus companheiros pelo apoio e aos adeptos!!! A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Aug 16, 2017 at 9:19am PDT

Ronaldo was found guilty of a “violation of article 96 of the disciplinary code”, which relates to using “mild force” against the officials, including grabbing, pushing or shaking. He has also been fined €3,805 (£3,459), with Real fined €1,750 (£1,590).

The Real manager, Zinedine Zidane, believes the ban is disproportionate, telling the club’s official website on Tuesday: “I am and we are very upset. I’m not going to get involved with the referees but, after what happened, to think that he’ll not play for five games makes you think that something isn’t right.

“It’s too long for him. I have been very clear in my response. What happened, happened, but when you look at the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has got five matches, you have to admit that it is a lot.”

The former Manchester United forward has been linked with a move away from Real this summer after revealing his frustration over an investigation into his tax returns in Spain. He denies the charges.

• This article was amended on 17 August 2017. An earlier version said Cristiano Ronaldo had a five-match ban for pushing a referee. Ronaldo was given a four-match ban for shoving the referee after previously receiving a one-match ban when the referee gave him a red card.

