West Brom's Heggebo Gets Two-Match Ban for Handball Goal After Appeal Fails
West Bromwich Albion forward Aune Heggebo will serve a two-match suspension after losing his appeal against a charge of "successful deception of a match official" — meaning he scored a goal with his hand and the referee did not spot it.
Heggebo's goal came in West Brom's 2-1 win at Norwich City. The Football Association charged him with misconduct under FA Rule E3.1 on Tuesday, and after a hearing by the FA's Regulatory Commission, the ban was confirmed. West Brom appealed, but the club confirmed on Thursday that the appeal was unsuccessful (BBC Sport).
The FA's rules allow retrospective disciplinary action when a match official may have been deceived, but only where there is overwhelming evidence of intentional deception. In other words, the player must have meant to cheat the referee — an accidental hand is not enough. The commission decided Heggebo's case crossed that bar.
West Brom did not accept that reading. In their defence, they argued the ball deflected off the Norwich goalkeeper before striking Heggebo's hand, leaving the player with "less than 0.1 of a second" to react. That is faster than most people can blink. The club said they will write to the FA requesting clarification on how a player is reasonably expected to react in similar circumstances (BBC Sport).
The incident also touches a live debate about technology in the lower leagues. VAR — the video assistant referee system used to review key decisions — runs in every Premier League match. But EFL clubs, the tiers below the top flight, have blocked its introduction. In April, second-tier Championship clubs turned down the chance to bring in a version of VAR for the 2026-27 season. Without that video safety net, the FA's retrospective process is the main mechanism for catching incidents the referee misses in real time.
West Brom believe Heggebo's charge is the first of its kind in English football following a rule change two years ago, which tightened the FA's power to punish players who deceive match officials. If so, the case sets a precedent other clubs and players will watch closely.
For fans, the frustration cuts both ways. A handball goal that stands can swing a match. But banning a player for something that happened in a fraction of a second — when there was no technology on hand to catch it live — raises fair questions about where intent ends and reflex begins. West Brom are now asking those questions in writing. The FA, for now, has its answer: two matches.
Heggebo will sit out West Brom's next two fixtures.
