West Bromwich Albion striker Aune Heggebo has been handed a two-match ban by the Football Association for scoring a handball goal against Norwich City.
The 25-year-old Norwegian striker bundled in a cross from new signing Jimmy-Jay Morgan after the ball struck his left arm during West Brom's 2-1 EFL Championship victory at Carrow Road on Saturday. Referee Tim Robinson missed the handball, and despite protests from Norwich players surrounding the official, the goal was allowed to stand.
Days after the fixture, the FA charged Heggebo with having "successfully deceived a Match Official by handling the ball in a direct successful attempt to score a goal." The punishment is believed to be the first suspension of its kind in English football since the introduction of a new disciplinary rule in the 2024-25 season.
West Bromwich Albion, an English football club based in the West Midlands competing in the second-tier Championship, formally appealed the disciplinary charge on Wednesday. However, the FA rejected the claim and upheld the two-game ban.
Club Statement and Appeal Details
In a club statement published after the appeal was dismissed, West Brom detailed their defence of the player. The club stated that "the ball took a deflection from the goalkeeper immediately before making contact with Heggebo's arm, which materially affected the ball's trajectory and left him with less than 0.1 of a second to react."
"Given the accidental nature of the handball, the club argued it could not be reasonably viewed as a deliberate act of deception," the statement said. West Brom added that they "remain steadfast in our support of Aune, whose character and integrity have been evident throughout his time at The Hawthorns."
Fan Reaction and VAR Debate
The retrospective suspension has caused widespread controversy online, with supporters of various clubs criticising the ruling and arguing that match officials should bear responsibility for missing the incident during the match. In Championship fixtures, where Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology is not utilised, on-pitch refereeing errors cannot be reviewed during play.
Social media users voiced anger at the decision. "Not sure about that at all," one supporter wrote online. "It's the officials' fault for not spotting it. The lack of VAR comes with clangers like this, which will always be a major talking point but that's a very dangerous precedent to be setting."
Another fan called the suspension "an absolute disgrace," adding: "A ban because the officials can't do their job. Wow." A third commenter agreed: "2 game ban because refs are pony. Blows my mind how much protection they get ( feels good being able to say this now )."
"A player has been banned because the officials failed to spot a handball for a goal," another supporter remarked. "Joke."
Norwich City Manager Response
Following the final whistle at Carrow Road, Norwich City manager Philippe Clement directed criticism at the officiating crew for failing to intervene during the match.
"It was clearly with the arm that the player scores, we could see that from where we were watching, 50 yards away," Clement said after the game. "It was the decisive moment in the game and should have been spotted."
"There are four officials and one of them should have seen it," Clement added. "Maybe the referee didn't have the best view, but the linesman on our side needs to see that. Missing game-changing moments like this shouldn't happen, it has cost us at least two, maybe three points."
