Heggebo was charged with misconduct, contrary to FA Rule E3.1, by the Football Association on Tuesday.

In his defence, West Brom argued that the ball took a deflection off the goalkeeper before making contact with Heggebo’s hand.

The Baggies claim it affected the ball’s trajectory and left the player with “less than 0.1 of a second” to react.

Given the accidental nature of the handball, the club argued, it could not reasonably be viewed as a deliberate act of deception.

Since the ban was announced on Thursday, West Brom have said they are going to write to the FA requesting clarification on how a player is reasonably expected to react should similar circumstances arise in the future.

Retrospective disciplinary action has previously been taken against players guilty of simulation.

According to English football’s governing body, the FA can take retrospective disciplinary action in situations where a match official may have been deceived.

This process is not for debatable decisions, but only where there is overwhelming evidence to indicate that a player intentionally deceived a match official.

However, West Brom believe that this charge is the first of its kind in English football following a rule change two years ago.

The incident reopened the debate over the use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the Championship.

VAR is used in all matches in the Premier League but EFL clubs have blocked its introduction to date.

In April, clubs in the second tier of English football turned down the chance to introduce a version of the VAR system for 2026-27.

BBC Sport understands the idea is closed for the foreseeable future and is unlikely to be resurrected by the clubs in a year’s time – so no opportunity to review incidents like this shortly after they happen.

Joe Root says his team were “outstanding” as he started his second spell as England captain with an emphatic innings victory against Pakistan in the opening Test at Headingley.

READ MORE: New Root era begins with huge win over Pakistan

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Chelsea have rejected an initial season-long loan offer from Leeds United for winger Mykhailo Mudryk.

The opening offer fell well short of Chelsea‘s expectations, but negotiations are continuing and the Ukraine forward is believed to be keen on a switch to Elland Road.

The 25-year-old has agreed to spend the season away from Stamford Bridge in a bid to rebuild match fitness.

Mudryk had 20 months out of football following a positive test for the banned substance meldonium.

His ban ended in July and the attacker has since taken steps to start rebuilding his career in Chelsea‘s pre-season tour under new manager Xabi Alonso, making several substitute appearances.

In recent discussions, Mudryk has indicated his preference is to remain in the Premier League despite interest from Strasbourg – Chelsea‘s sister club under the BlueCo ownership group – and teams in Italy.

Leeds emerged as the frontrunners because they are willing to sign him without a purchase option, allowing Chelsea to retain control of Mudryk’s future while covering his salary.

The Whites have signed four players this summer: attacker Harry Wilson from Fulham, centre-back Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo, goalkeeper James Trafford from Manchester City and defender Nico Elvedi from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Chelsea striker Liam Delap also previously attracted interest from Leeds which has since cooled.

Brentford were also considered a potential destination for Mudryk, but had hoped to secure an option to make the move permanent – which Chelsea rejected.

The Bees attempted to sign Mudryk several months before Chelsea secured his signature from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial £61m in 2023 and remain interested in the winger.

Coventry City have also expressed an interest, while a move to Strasbourg remains under consideration. Chelsea are also exploring the possibility of sending other players, including midfielder Dario Essugo, to the French club.

The prospect of Mudryk remaining at Stamford Bridge is considered unlikely, although it has not been completely ruled out.