'Koeman's words don't mean anything' - Zidane denies referee controversy

No penalty was called against Los Blancos despite a presumably clear handball, and the Barca boss openly questioned the referee’s decision.

Zinedine Zidane finds it ‘annoying’ that there has been criticism on the performance of the referee during Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Eibar.

A controversial incident was witnessed during Los Blancos’s La Liga outing over the weekend.

Sergio Ramos appeared to have inadvertently handled the ball inside the penalty area but escaped punishment from referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero and the incident was not even reviewed by the VAR.

Had the penalty been awarded, the match could have ended up differently as Eibar were 2-1 down at that point.

FC Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman focused on the incident in his pre-match press conference ahead of the midweek clash against Real Valladolid, hinting that Los Blancos were benefited by the referee.

Asked about Koeman’s comments during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference, Zidane replied, via Marca: “It bothers me because I never get involved with the referees.

“Koeman’s words don’t mean anything because we’re only thinking about [Wednesday’s match against] Granada.

“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].

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