The Blaugrana tactician publicly criticized the performance of the referee in Los Blancos' 3-1 win over Eibar, which did not sit well with Zizou.

Zinedine Zidane has hit back at Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman for criticizing the referee during Real Madrid's recent clash with Eibar. The Dutch tactician was asked about the performance of the match official from Los Blancos' game, and instead of giving a diplomatic answer as most prefer to do, the Camp Nou gaffer openly slammed the referee.

Koeman offered his thoughts on one controversial moment during the game when a Yoshinori Muto header hit Ramos' elbow, which resulted in shouts for a penalty. Match referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero refused to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, which sparked anger from many.

The Dutch boss unapologetically stated that the official should have given a penalty against Los Merengues while also revealing his frustration with the confusion surrounding the handball rule. This did not sit well with Zidane.

"It bothers me because I never get involved with the referees," Zidane said about Koeman's comments during a pre-match press conference for their upcoming clash with Granada.

"The referees are part of the game. They can make mistakes, like the players and like all of us in life. With respect to the comments from Koeman, I'm not saying anything as I'm just thinking about tomorrow's game [against Granada].

There have been five penalties awarded against Real Madrid since Barcelona's complaints, so does Zidane think there is any reason behind this?

"It is true that there is a lot of talk when there is something specific with Madrid and the referees, this is what Madrid [have to deal with]," he added.

"It's a bit annoying talking about this, we are interested in tomorrow's match. We have to be focused."

When that handball controversy occurred, Eibar were 2-1 down and could have gone level had the spot kick been awarded. Instead, play went on and the Madrid giants grabbed a third to win 3-1. That victory saw Benzema and Co. go second in the table with 29 points, level with leaders Atletico. Messi and Co. are eight points behind Real Madrid but have one less game than their bitter rivals.