West Brom will be without Aune Heggebo for two matches after the Football Association imposed a suspension for deception, a ruling James Morrison says has opened "a can of worms for the FA".
The sanction stems from the opening-day goal in West Brom's 2-1 win at Norwich City, when a cross from Jimmy-Jay Morgan struck Heggebo's hand on its way into the net to give Albion the lead. The Norway forward, who has scored 10 Championship goals in 47 appearances since moving to West Brom in July 2025, became the first player charged under the competition's "deception of a match official" rule since it was introduced in 2017-18.
Morrison defended his forward and questioned the principle of fault when contact looked accidental. "We wanted to back Bo because he's not that type of person," he told BBC Radio WM. "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 Albion head coach described the moment from his player's perspective. "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."
Heggebo, 25, missed Sunday's 3-1 win over Burnley because of the suspension, and he will also be absent for West Brom's Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle United on Wednesday (19:45 BST). Morrison said the club will accept the punishment if the FA applies the rule consistently. "If they're going to do it, we accept it, but they've got to be consistent throughout the season," he said. "Be consistent throughout the season and we can all deal with that."
The immediate consequence is the loss of a regular goalscorer for two fixtures, but Morrison's comments signal a wider dispute about how the governing body will interpret and enforce deception offences. The FA's decision has set a precedent and invites scrutiny from clubs who fear similar cases could follow when accidental contact is judged as deliberate.
Next, West Brom must adapt their attack without Heggebo for the next two games, and the FA will face pressure to clarify how it will apply the deception rule as the season progresses.
