Heggebo banned for two matches after handball goal at Carrow Road
Aune Heggebo has been suspended for two matches by the Football Association after being charged with 'deception of a match official' over a handball that put West Brom 1-0 against Norwich City at Carrow Road with 15 minutes remaining in the opening game of the season; referee Tim Robinson and his assistants did not see the incident and the goal stood as West Brom went on to win 2-1.
Heggebo joined West Brom from Norwegian side SK Brann for an undisclosed fee in July 2025. The goal was created when Jimmy Jay-Morgan's cross flew past Norwich keeper Vladan Kovacevic and struck Heggebo's hand as he jumped, the ball then bouncing into the net. The FA charged Heggebo with misconduct under Rule E3.1, a provision first introduced in 2017-18 that permits retrospective action where evidence indicates a player intentionally deceived a match official. The FA has said the retrospective process is intended only for cases with overwhelming evidence of deliberate deception, not for debatable decisions.
West Brom defended Heggebo, arguing the ball deflected off the goalkeeper before contacting the player's hand and that the change in trajectory left him with "less than 0.1 of a second" to react; the club has said it will write to the FA requesting clarification on how a player should be expected to act in similar circumstances. Little additional detail, reasoning or context was provided by the FA beyond the factual announcement of the two-match ban. Retrospective disciplinary action has previously been used against players for simulation, according to the FA.
The match itself saw Morgan double West Brom's lead before Mathias Kvistgaarden scored a 90th-minute consolation for Norwich. Heggebo will miss West Brom's next two matches: the Championship home game against Burnley on Sunday (12:00 BST) and the Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle United next Wednesday (19:45 BST), and will next be available for the Championship fixture at Middlesbrough on 29 August.
West Brom issued a public statement backing their player: "We remain steadfast in our support of Aune, whose character and integrity have been evident throughout his time at The Hawthorns." Speaking to BBC WM, a West Brom fan identified as Alistair criticised the FA's decision: "It's not our fault the referee didn't see it. What is he supposed to do? Go to the referee and say: 'you know what ref, I've handballed that and then get a rollocking off his gaffer after the match?'. "It's not Thierry Henry against the Republic of Ireland or Diego Maradona against England."
Former Norwich striker Chris Sutton told BBC Sport the outcome will "make players think twice about punching the ball into the back of the net." "There's an argument that you can blame the officials for missing it - I get that," Sutton added. "But the player successfully deceived the officials and we shouldn't be rewarding or encouraging that. "That's why it's right the player has been banned." Former West Brom and Ajax midfielder Richard Sneekes disagreed on BBC WM: "I just can't see how the FA can do this. It's absolute nonsense. Where are they going to draw a line?"
The incident has reignited discussion about the absence of Video Assistant Referees in the Championship; VAR is used in the Premier League but EFL clubs have so far blocked its introduction. In April, clubs in the second tier turned down the chance to introduce a version of VAR for 2026-27, and BBC Sport understands the idea is closed for the foreseeable future and is unlikely to be resurrected by the clubs in a year's time, meaning there will be no routine post-match video review of incidents like this.
Martin Cassidy, chief executive of Ref Support UK, welcomed the ban and urged wider implementation of the rule, citing past incidents as precedent. Cassidy said: "Heggebo should have owned up. Deceiving the officials is not welcome and this is a really positive step. "This rule has been around for a while. They have never really used it as much as they could. "For me, this is a really positive step forward that could change the game for the good."
