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Heggebo Gets Two-Match Ban Under New FA Handball Rule

8/21/2026

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Summary

Heggebo Banned Two Matches

Aune Heggebo received a two-match ban for his handball-assisted goal in West Brom’s win at Norwich on 15 August 2026.
The Football Association charged him under FA Rule E3.1 for allegedly deceiving a match official.
An independent Regulatory Commission upheld the charge and imposed the suspension after a hearing.
West Brom will miss Heggebo in the Championship match against Burnley and the Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle United.

Summary

Heggebø Tests Rule

The FA introduced Rule E3.1 before the 2024/25 season to punish deceptive handball goal attempts.
Heggebø’s case will become the first legal test of the new rule in English football.
The Regulatory Commission’s decision signals a strict interpretation that intent to deceive outweighs split-second reaction time.
Other clubs may need to train players on handball awareness to avoid similar sanctions.

History

Historical Context

In 1992 IFAB introduced the back-pass rule, ending goalkeeper time-wasting and signalling a broader move toward stricter handball interpretation. That shift underpins today’s FA Rule E3.1, which led to Aune Heggebo’s two-match ban in 2024 as clubs such as West Brom and Newcastle adapt. The colour-card system, first used in the 1970 World Cup, also frames modern disciplinary practice.

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Heggebo Banned Two Matches

Aune Heggebo received a two-match ban for his handball-assisted goal in West Brom’s win at Norwich on 15 August 2026.
The Football Association charged him under FA Rule E3.1 for allegedly deceiving a match official.
An independent Regulatory Commission upheld the charge and imposed the suspension after a hearing.
West Brom will miss Heggebo in the Championship match against Burnley and the Carabao Cup tie with Newcastle United.

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