Morrison: FA have "opened a can of worms" after Heggebo two-match ban

West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison said the Football Association had "opened a can of worms" after Aune Heggebo was handed a two-match ban for deception following the Norway forward's controversial handball that helped Albion to a 2-1 win over Norwich City on the first day of the Championship season. The incident involved a cross from Jimmy-Jay Morgan which hit Heggebo's hand on its way into the net.

Heggebo has scored 10 Championship goals in 47 appearances since moving to West Brom in July 2025. He last week became the first player to be charged with "deception of a match official" since the rule was introduced in the 2017-18 season. The charged incident occurred when Morgan's cross struck Heggebo's hand before entering the goal.

Morrison described the action as accidental and said the onus had not been on the player to notify referee Tim Robinson, speaking to BBC Radio WM. "We wanted to back Bo because he's not that type of person," he said. "He was upset because he was saying it [the charge] was calling him a cheat, basically, and we all know he's not that."

The manager argued Heggebo had no realistic obligation to stop play after the ball deflected to him. "He'll be looking at the cross when it came in, it flicked from the goalkeeper's hands into him," Morrison said. "He's not going to run to the referee is he, and say, 'I handballed that'? Not in a million years."

Morrison, whom the article described as "disappointed", warned the decision opens difficult precedents for the governing body over what it considers deception. He said the club and supporters would accept sanctions provided the FA applies the rule uniformly.

Heggebo, 25, missed Sunday's 3-1 win over Burnley as a result of the suspension and will also miss the Carabao Cup tie away to Newcastle United on Wednesday (19:45 BST). "If they're going to do it, we accept it, but they've got to be consistent throughout the season," Morrison added. "Be consistent throughout the season and we can all deal with that."