West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison believes the Football Association has “opened a can of worms” by handing Aune Heggebo a two-game suspension for deception.
Albion took the lead in their 2-1 Championship opening-day victory against Norwich City after Jimmy-Jay Morgan’s cross struck Heggebo’s hand before entering the net.
Last week, the Norwegian forward became the first player charged with “deception of a match official” since the regulation came into effect during the 2017-18 campaign.
Morrison insisted the contact was unintentional and said it was not the player’s responsibility to inform referee Tim Robinson.
“We stood by Bo because that is not the kind of person he is,” Morrison said.
“He was disappointed because he felt the charge effectively portrayed him as a cheat, and everyone who knows him understands that is not true.
“As the cross arrived, he was watching the ball, which deflected off the goalkeeper’s hands before hitting him.
“There was no realistic chance he would approach the referee and admit the ball had touched his hand.”
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