West Bromwich Albion forward Aune Heggebo has been handed a two-match ban by the Football Association after scoring a controversial handball goal in Saturday's 2-1 Championship victory at Norwich City.

The Norway international found the net in the 75th minute at Carrow Road, finishing a left-wing cross from Jimmy-Jay Morgan — but the ball clearly struck his arm before crossing the line. The strike handed West Brom the lead and proved decisive in the outcome.

The charge and its significance

The FA charged Heggebo with a breach of Rule E3.1, alleging he "successfully deceived a match official by handling the ball in a direct successful attempt to score a goal." A regulatory commission upheld the misconduct charge on Thursday, confirming the suspension.

Norwich City head coach Philippe Clement had spoken out after the match, describing the moment as "a decisive moment in the game," and adding: "I think this is a clear-cut goal that should be disallowed."

The handball charge is believed to be the first of its kind in English football, following a rule change introduced ahead of the 2024-25 season — marking new territory for the sport's governing body.

West Brom's defence and next steps

The Baggies had appealed against the charge, arguing the handball was accidental. Their case rested on the ball's deflection off the Norwich goalkeeper, which they said "materially affected the ball's trajectory and left him [Heggebo] with less than 0.1 of a second to react." The commission rejected that argument.

As a result, Heggebo will miss West Brom's Championship fixture against Burnley on Sunday, as well as the Carabao Cup second-round tie at Premier League side Newcastle United on 26 August.

The club confirmed they would write to the FA requesting clarification on how players are expected to respond in similar situations going forward.